The Native's Return: An American Immigrant Visits Yugoslavia and Discovers His Old Country

by Louis Adamic

Book by Adamic, Louis

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Travel, Geography, Memoir

400 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1934

About the author

Slovenian-born, he came to US at the age of 14. Socialist, he supported Tito and was friends with Rex Stout and Robinson Jeffers.

Reviews

[Anton]

My father, a fellow immigrant from Yugoslavia, was friends with Adamic. In 1935 they met up and spent some time together in the Kotor area of Montenegro, where my father was born. I don't know where my father, Ray Prohaska,* stood on the subject of Louis' spying, or what he knew about it, though I do know that my father was on good terms with the head of the O.S.S. at the time. [ ed; "Wild Bill" Donovan, who didn't become head of the OSS until the War started.] It would be interesting to me to know more, but I'm afraid it is lost to history. Any info would be appreciated; I am interested in 20th c. European Geo-Politics.
*Rayprohaska.com

[Avi]

The next in my ongoing list of books by suicides. Plus, it's about the Balkans, and so far, everything I've read about the Balkans has been riveting, novels or otherwise.

[Richard]

I bought an old library copy of the first edition (1934) of this book through Better World Books for just a few bucks, and I read it. I got it because I'd read that Rex Stout placed his famous detective Nero Wolfe as coming from Montenegro because of this book, and because of his friendship with the author, Louis Adamic. I thought maybe I'd pick up some interesting information about Montnegro that would help me understand how Stout portrayed his character. I thought the book might be quite dry and poorly written, so really didn't expect to read it through. However, I found the book quite engaging, and read it straight through. It was well written, had an interesting point of view. The author was born in Slovenia, immigrated to the US at age 14, but the book tells of his return to his birthplace with his American wife for a 10 month visit in the early 1930s. Interesting aspects of the Great Depression, the effects of the Great War on Europe, the rise of Fascism in Europe, the influence of the Russian revolution on people of the time, the looming threat of a coming war in Europe. But mostly it is about how he falls in love with the people of his native land, when he didn't really expect to do so. This book was a US best seller when first published, and I can see why. It has a small section of black and white photos of Yugoslavia of the period. I may even seek out some of his other books.

[Nancy]

Although it covers roughly the same time period as Rebecca West's Black Lamb and Grey Falcon, I found The Native's Return more readable than West's tome. On a Guggenheim fellowship, Louis Adamic returns to now Yugoslavia which he left almost twenty years earlier to emigrate to the United States. He is hailed a hero in his native land, with his American wife, Stella. Adamic travels throughout the country, from his homeland Blato in Carniola, Slovenia to Montenegro, Dalmatia, Kossovo and Belgrade. I enjoyed the telling of the wedding and funeral near his hometown, the traditions and superstitions. I learned a lot, including about Dr. Stampar, whose "social medicine" ideas are not fully realized in many parts of the world today, and King Alexander, with his government built on deceit and cronyism (in Adamic's view). Max Vanka and his wife, Margaret, are also mentioned, having become friends with Louis and Stella during their stay in Yugoslavia. (This would have been prior to Vanka painting the St. Nicholas murals.)

"Most of the troubles [disputes] are laughed off, sung away, or drowned in wine, which Slovenia produces in abundance." (97)

About King Alexander: ""He is a stranger to real wisdom, but possesses a profound cunning." (346)

[Karen]

well. This is an amazing tour de force by a Slovenian immigrant who returns to Slovenia and surveys his country through new eyes, and those of his American wife. Her presence helps to spotlight the differences between American values, culture and customs and those she encounters in Slovenia.

I quote here from the closing pages of the reprint that I read:. "Adamic has a magnificent authenticity which makes his writing very moving.He is a literate Bohunk who is still a Bohun; an American proletarian who tells a story with the directness of a hobo beside a camp fire...He tells what he has seen, in stories." Yes, I agree wholeheartedly.

[Kim Novak (The Reading Rx)]

Half travel memoir and half Slavic political analysis. There’s nothing like a treatise on the Balkan powder keg of politics. Interesting to read the discourse between WWI and WWII knowing what was to come afterwards.

[Linda]

Fascinating. Didn't like his closing opinions on many things, but again, totally fascinating. A very different world!

[Samantha Glasser]

This book is available to read for free online: https://archive.org/details/nativesre...