First edition of Ostanovka v Pustyne [A Stop in the Desert] Brodsky's second book of poetry in Russian to be published in America. Described as his first 'real' book, it is primarily new work together with some of his best verse to date. It is the first Russian-language edition of his works for which Brodsky made the main editorial decisions. At the time of publication he was still in the Soviet Union (he was exiled in 1972) and his translator George Kline acted as the de facto editor of this book covertly, for Brodsky's safety.

Akhmatova lauded Brodsky as the most gifted voice of his generation and in 1987, he won the Nobel Prize for Literature, the fifth Russian-born writer to do so. In an interview he was asked, 'You are an American citizen who is receiving the Prize for Russian-language poetry. Who are you, an American or a Russian?' 'I'm Jewish; a Russian poet, an English essayist – and, of course, an American citizen', he responded.

Brodsky faced a absolute state blacklist in Soviet Russia. His poetry was considered dangerous not because it was overtly political, but because his highly individualistic, spiritual style completely ignored Soviet ideology. In 1972, the Soviet government forcibly exiled Brodsky, stripping him of his citizenship and deporting him. The absolute ban on his literature was only broken during Mikhail Gorbachev's Glasnost era. After settling in the United States, Brodsky wrote essays in English and poetry in Russian, eventually winning the 1987 Nobel Prize in Literature and becoming the Poet Laureate of the United States in 1991.

First edition; 8vo (21.5 x 14 cm); original printed wrappers, a very good copy; 228pp.