Title: Two items from Steinbeck's visit to Russia in 1963, including a handwritten note
Author: Steinbeck, John. 1902-1968.
Description: Includes: A note with seven numbered points, handwritten by John Steinbeck on a small piece of stationery from the Hotel National in Moscow where the Steinbecks were staying in November, after returning from Kiev, Yerevan and Tbilisi. The note, which was given by Steinbeck to U.S. Embassy official Peter Bridges, reports his private conversation with Alaksei Adzhubei, editor of Izvestiya and Khrushchev's son-in-law. Among the points, Steinbeck relates that K (i.e. Khrushchev) wants to meet him, and it will be arranged; an agreement has been confirmed for direct flights between Moscow and New York three times a week; Steinbeck has agreed to "write a short piece of sterling prose for his sheet"; "In the name of his outfit, he gave me the bauble you see on my left wrist"; etc. Bridges has added a short notation at the bottom of the note, and a longer one on the reverse. * A carbon copy of poem, typed either by John or by Elaine Steinbeck, entitled "Latoniquem." An ink note by Bridges in the upper right of the page states that the poem is in "John Steinbeck's new language - translation of Shevchenko's `Zapovit'!" Bridges relates years later that "While in Kiev, the Ukrainian branch of the writers' union had made much of the 19th century Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko, and the Steinbecks had been exposed to a little too much untranslated Ukrainian including the poet's `Zapovit' (`Precept'). Steinbeck reacted by inventing a new language which he thought was more melliflous than Ukrainian was."
Heading: zzcPlace Published: Moscow
Publisher:
Date Published: 1963

Both items are in very good condition, unique and significant pieces which shed light on his final trip to the Soviet Union.