Victor Serge (1890-1947) was born in Belgium of a Russian family. Affiliated from his early youth with the anarchist movement, he made his way to Russia, where he was an active participant in the Revolution from 1919 on. Because of his adamant opposition to Stalin, Serge was driven into exile in Mexico and France, during which he wrote his legendary Memoirs of a Revolutionist and a series of novels closely based on his own life. Susan Sontag has written novels, stories, essays and plays; written and directed films; and worked as a theatre director in the United States and Europe. In 2001 she was awarded the Jerusalem Prize. Among her recent books are the novel In America, which won the 2000 National Book Award for Fiction, and Regarding the Pain of Others.