THE NATIVE'S RETURN—Louis Adamic —Harper ($2.75).
Not because he disliked the U. S. or was disillusioned about U. S. civilization, but because he wanted to see what the old country looked like after 19 years, Louis Adamic went back to Jugoslavia in 1932. The Guggenheim Foundation paid his way as a U. S. author for a year's "creative writing." Adamic had not intended to spend much time in his native country, much less write a book about it, but he ended by doing both. The Native's Return, something between a travel diary and a guide book, is better than most such journalistic accounts. Though his book may well make its author persona non grata with the Jugoslavian Government, it should certainly boom the Dalmatian tourist trade.
Louis Adamic's was an exciting homecoming. He had not seen his parents, his nine brothers and sisters for 19 years. Aside from occasional letters to his family, he had long lost all touch with his native Slovene tongue. He was bringing his U. S. wife to see the old folks. He thought of himself as completely "Americanized." But almost at the first sight of the Dalmatian coast his forgotten language came back with a rush. In Trieste a Slovene official bade him a ceremonious welcome home, showed him newspapers bursting with his praises. In Jugoslavia, especially in his little native province of Carniola, Adamic was almost a national hero. Puzzled at first, he sensibly decided the fuss-&-feathers was due partly to Slovene patriotism, partly to the fact that he was a writer.
When he had faced the hearty but undemonstrative welcome of his family, peasants in the village of Blato who actually killed their fatted calf for him, Adamic changed his mind about making only a short visit. Louis Adamic became again Loyze Adamich. His Uncle Mikha gave him a dressing-down for not writing oftener to his mother. Uncle Yanez put off dying until he had seen his traveled nephew. Cousin Toné asked him to be groomsman at his wedding. Before Adamic had left Jugoslavia it was nearly time for him to be godfather to Toné's firstborn.
After several weeks at home, Adamic and his wife set off to see the country, went the whole circuit. Everywhere Adamic found himself a famed figure, soon was hearing legends about himself and "Mr. Gugnhaim," an immensely rich U. S. tycoon who had chosen Adamic to make an exhaustive report on the true state of affairs in Jugoslavia, would then set all things right. Adamic, discovering plenty of things that needed setting to rights, says flatly that King Alexander's Government is a grinding dictatorship, that Jugoslavian jails hold thousands of political prisoners, that if he had not been exceedingly circumspect he would have had no chance of getting the notes for his book across the border.