Vladimir Nabokov, Literary Refugee

Officially the couple were stateless, having been issued Nansen passports, a document that in Nabokov’s view essentially identified its holder as “a criminal on parole.” While France was unhappy about the influx of foreigners — it had been less welcoming to foreigners than Berlin — Nabokov managed to secure a work visa. “I have sound reasons to believe that I shall be able to make good in America,” Nabokov assured the American Committee for Christian Refugees.

Source: www.nytimes.com