Rodion Michael Beresov (born Rodion Mikhailovich Akulshin; April 8, 1896 – June 25, 1988), also spelled Berezov or Beryozov, was a Russian-American poet, playwright, and writer of children's and Christian books.
Early Life and Education
Beresov was born on April 8, 1896, in the village of Vilovatoye, Samara Governorate, Russian Empire, into a poor peasant family as the youngest of 13 children. From the age of seven, he performed at village weddings as a jester. After primary school, he attended a teacher's seminary, graduating in 1915, and worked as a teacher in several villages until the autumn of 1923. He then moved to Moscow and studied at the Valery Bryusov Higher Literary and Artistic Institute.
Career in the Soviet Union
Beresov was first published as a poet in the magazine Delegatka in 1924. He became secretary of the Children's Section of the State Publishing House (Gosizdat), beginning a career as a children's writer. In the 1920s and 1930s, he published approximately 40 small books, many for children and young people. The main theme of his work during this period was propaganda of the achievements of the USSR and the Communist Party. Until 1932, he was a member of the literary group "Pereval." His play Okno v derevnyu (Window to the Village) was staged by Vsevolod Meyerhold at the State Theater of Vsevolod Meyerhold (GosTIM) for the tenth anniversary of the October Revolution, but the production was unsuccessful and was removed from the repertoire after 22 performances.
World War II and Collaboration
With the beginning of World War II in 1941, Beresov was mobilized into the people's militia. On October 5, 1941, in a battle near Yelnya, he was captured and sent to Germany, where he was recruited to work in the German propaganda department. He collaborated with the newspaper Novy Put and co-authored (with Sergey Shirokov) a propaganda radio play titled Wolf about a Soviet partisan who became a Nazi collaborationist.
Emigration to the United States
In 1945, Beresov was liberated by American troops from a concentration camp and ended up in a displaced persons camp. Fearing imprisonment or execution if he returned to the USSR, he emigrated to the United States, assuming the identity of a Polish-born man named Rodion Michael Beresov. He was later brought to trial for deceiving immigration authorities but was pardoned given the circumstances. His case was handled personally by Senator John F. Kennedy.
Life in the United States
Beresov settled in Los Angeles and adopted the Baptist faith, becoming an active parishioner of the Evangelical Slavic Center church. In exile, he wrote and published about a dozen books of poems, novels, stories, and essays, which were not widely distributed in the USSR. His works from this period include poetry collections such as Rain and Tears (1951), Joy (1953), Russian Heart (1954), Songs of the Soul (1955), Joseph the Beautiful (1959), Beauty (1963), and Reflections (1966). He also wrote prose and memoirs about Sergei Yesenin, Alexander Tvardovsky, Demyan Bedny, and Vsevolod Meyerhold.
Death
Beresov spent his last years in a nursing home, bedridden. He died on June 25, 1988, in Ashford, Connecticut, at the age of 92.
