Here I Stand [antikvár]

PREFACEby Lloyd L. BrownHere 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 yearsfrom the First World War until after World War IIPaul Robeson's extraordinary achievements had kept him in the spotlight. First he won national fame as a football superstarthe 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 anyix