No Country for Idealists

The Making of a Family of Subversives

Boris Frankel

$48.95

Paperback

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English

Greenmeadows
09 November 2023

Biography; Biography: general; Biography: historical, political & military; Australasian & Pacific history; Social welfare & social services; Political activism

This book is a dramatic account of the making of a family of 'subversives' in Australia and the USSR during the Cold War. It also captures the texture of everyday life in Australia and Russia, with humour and insight. Importantly, it is much more than a tale of dreams and deceptions. It is an unflinching chronicle of love and courage in the face of concerted opposition by both the Menzies' authoritarian government of 'illiberal democracy' and the Soviet dictatorship. Above all, it is a story of idealism, illusions, resistance, and radicalisation. No other Australian family went through the extraordinary experiences detailed in this unconventional historical memoir.

No Country for Idealists deals with how Abraham and Tania Frankel came to Australia from Russia and Poland, their active political and social life in Melbourne, being targeted by ASIO as subversives.

They were interrogated by ASIO because of their association with Vladimir Petrov and other Soviet diplomats.

The family's departure from Australia for the Soviet Union in 1956 was front-page news, but their arrival in the USSR shattered their ideals.

Isolated in Kerch, Crimea, interrogated and arrested by Soviet authorities, the book is a vivid account of their experiences in Khrushchev's Russia and their seven-year-long struggle to reunite in Melbourne.

It concludes with an account of how their lives unfold in Australia after their return.

By: Boris Frankel
Imprint: Greenmeadows
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm, Spine: 22mm
Weight: 594g
ISBN: 9780648363385
ISBN 10: 0648363384
Pages: 388
Publication Date: 09 November 2023
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Boris Frankel was born in Melbourne and is a social and environmentalist theorist and political economist. He has been active in social movements and is a public media commentator. Apart from publications in Australia, the UK and US, his work has been translated into many languages in Europe, Asia and Latin America.

Reviews for No Country for Idealists: The Making of a Family of Subversives

"Robert Manne: ""It is truly a fascinating, vivid, and singular story."" Peter Chistoff: ""A gripping tale of devotion, idealism and folly that spans the globe. It provides a unique insight into dissident and migrant life in Australia."""