PARTING WITH ILLUSIONS

by Vladimir with Brian J. Kahn Pozner ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 2, 1990

The memoirs and observations of an American-bred spokesman for both Brezhnev's and Gorbachev's Russia. Pozner was born in France in 1934 and brought by his parents to New York in 1940, where his father became a highly paid executive at MGM. Brought up to revere the USSR in the comfortable surroundings of a Greenwich Village townhouse, ""Vlady"" seems to have felt little regret when his father packed off the family in 1948 for a new job with the Soviet film bureaucracy. After five years in East Berlin, the Pozners arrived in Moscow in early 1953. The author went from biology student to journalist for the Novosti press agency, and later became known for his occasional guest appearances on shows like Nightline. Pozner is frank regarding his disillusionment, doubts, and compromises: any ""illusions"" he might have had about the Soviet system were weakened a long time ago. His statements on Soviet society differ little from those considered mainstream in the West, although most readers will probably take his observations on American society with a grain of salt. Those who saw Pozner's TV appearances in the 1970's and early 1980's may have wondered how this person, who had been brought up in America and spoke perfect English, could possibly have believed what he was saying. The answer can be found between the lines of this memoir, which eloquently shows that the need ""to belong"" can create glib apologies for even an oppressive regime. On some levels, the most revealing memoir yet to come out of Gorbachev's Russia, written in homey language that may startle readers who pause to consider its source.

Pub Date: March 2, 1990

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Atlantic Monthly--dist. by Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1990

Categories: NONFICTION