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Sto caricando le informazioni... George Orwell and Russiadi Masha Karp
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Iscriviti per consentire a LibraryThing di scoprire se ti piacerà questo libro. Attualmente non vi sono conversazioni su questo libro. Growing up in the Soviet Union, Masha Karp read George Orwell’s novels, and in particular 1984 and Animal Farm and could not understand something. How could someone who never lived in her country, who did not even speak Russian, understand what life under totalitarianism felt like? In this excellent book, she explores how that came about. Orwell’s interest in Soviet Russia, his opposition to its ruling elite and ideology, did not come about due to his experiences in Spain, as is widely believed. Yes, Orwell was shocked by the behaviour of the Communists and their allies during the Spanish Civil War, in which he fought as a volunteer. But Orwell himself wrote that it was in the mid-1920s, a decade earlier, that he first formed those views. He did so while living in Paris, under the influence of a man he grew to detest, Eugene Lanti. Lanti was an Esperantist and Orwell intensely disliked the language — even parodying it in 1984. But Lanti was also an early leftist critic of the Soviet Union. When Orwell returned to England and lived in Hampstead, he was again strongly influenced by anti-Stalinist leftists, who, as it turned out, were also Esperantists. Karp goes into great detail not only on the evolution of Orwell’s views, but on the views themselves. She unflinchingly defends Orwell’s involvement in early Cold War anti-Soviet actions, though he died before he could play a leading role in some, like the Congress for Cultural Freedom. And the book ends in an up-to-the-minute account of Russia’s return to a form of totalitarian rule, including an analysis of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. A fantastic book and a great read — with a wonderful cover that is actually, apparently, a Soviet poster from the Stalin era. (You couldn’t make that up.) nessuna recensione | aggiungi una recensione
For those living in the Soviet Union, Orwell's masterpieces, Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four, were not dystopias, but accurate depictions of reality. Here, the Orwell scholar and expert on Russian politics, Masha Karp - Russian Features Editor at the BBC World Service for over a decade - explores how Orwell's work was received in Russia, when it percolated into the country even under censorship. Suggesting a new approach to the controversial 'Orwell's list' of 1949, Karp puts into context the articles and letters written by Orwell at the time. She sheds light on how the ideas of totalitarianism exposed in Orwell's writing took root in Russia and, in doing so, helps us to understand the contemporary political reality. As Vladimir Putin's actions continue to shock the West, it is clear we are witnessing the next transformation of totalitarianism, as predicted and described by Orwell. Now, over 70 years after Orwell's death, his writing, at least as far as Russia is concerned, remains as timely and urgent as it has ever been. Non sono state trovate descrizioni di biblioteche |
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Google Books — Sto caricando le informazioni... GeneriSistema Decimale Melvil (DDC)828.91209Literature English English miscellaneous writings English miscellaneous writings 1900- English miscellaneous writings 1900-1999 English miscellaneous writings 1900-1945 Individual authorsClassificazione LCVotoMedia:
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His writing could be lighthearted – his essay on the rude postcards sold in English seaside resorts is a delight. But it is always suffused by a concern for the truth, a hatred of cant and a passionate desire that ordinary people should enjoy a better life. This was drawn from his experience in the depths of Paris and London, among the shockingly deprived workers of the industrial north, and in the battle against Franco’s insurgents in Spain where he saw the full extent of Soviet duplicity. All this was vividly reflected in his great works of reportage.
Opinion in the Western democracies at that time was violently divided. Many on the right were prepared to co-operate with Hitler and Mussolini rather than see the triumph of ‘godless Communism’. Many leftist intellectuals believed that only revolution could bring about a better future. Allying themselves with the Soviet Union seemed the only way of stopping fascism in its tracks.
Read the rest at HistoryToday.com.
Rodric Braithwaite was British Ambassador in Moscow during the fall of the Soviet Union. His latest book is Russia: Myths and Realities (Profile, 2022).