Arrival and Departure.

KOESTLER, Arthur.

$350.00

Item Number: 142679

London: Hutchinson of London, 1966.

First Danube edition of the third novel in the author’s classic trilogy. Octavo, original cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the title page, “To Karl and Diane from Arthur.” The recipients were Karl Pribram and his wife Diane. Karl as a neurosurgeon and close friend of Koestler who did pioneering work on the definition of the limbic system, the relationship of the frontal cortex to the limbic system, the sensory-specific “association” cortex of the parietal and temporal lobes, and the classical motor cortex of the human brain. Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Jacket design by Ralph Mabey.

Written during the middle of World War II, Arrival and Departure reflects Koestler's own plight as a Hungarian refugee. Like Koestler, the main character is a former member of the Communist party. He escapes to 'Neutralia', a neutral country based on Portugal, where Koestler himself had gone, and flees from there. Reviewing Arrival and Departure in December 1943 George Orwell called it notable "for what must be one of the most shocking descriptions of Nazi terrorism that have ever been written."