Here I Stand [antikvár]

PREFACE by Lloyd L. Brown Here I Stand, first published in 1958, was a statement of bold defiance and prophetic power. Here stood a beleaguered man who would not bend or bow; and here his muzzled voice proclaimed: The time is now. For thirty years—from the First World War until after World War II—Paul Robeson's extraordinary achievements had kept him in the spotlight. First he won national fame as a football superstar—the fabulous "Robeson of Rutgers," an all-time All-American. Then he gained international renown as a concert singer and actor in starring roles on stage and screen. And then, suddenly, the spotlight was switched off. In place of the glow of stardom, a thick smokescreen was spread around him, and the giant figure of the most famous Afro-American of that era could no more be seen. The blackout was the result of a boycott of Robeson by the Establishment that was meant both to silence him and to deny him any opportunity of making a living. All doors to stage, screen, concert hall, radio, TV, and recording studio were locked against him. By denying him a passport and decreeing that he could not leave the country even for travel not requiring a passport (such as to Canada, the West Indies and Mexico ), the Federal government barred Robeson from continuing his career abroad. Though he was banished as a performing artist and denied his rights as a citizen, Robeson was never charged with any ix