George Orwell and Russia - by Masha Karp (Paperback)

About the Book

"For those living in the Soviet Union, Orwell's masterpieces Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty Four were not dystopias, but accurate fictional descriptions of reality. Here, the Orwell scholar and Russian political expert Masha Karp - head of the BBC's Russian Service for nearly a decade - explores how Orwell's work was received in Russia, and how it affects the political reality of totalitarianism today. The book reveals for the first time new contextual articles written by Orwell which provide explanation for his naming of fellow communists to the authorities in the 1940s, and shows how Orwell's ideas percolated in Russia even under censorship. Karp also demonstrates why The Road to Wigan Pier - Orwell's famous exploration of British poverty - was never published in Russian, and how the ideas of totalitarianism laid out in Orwell's writings have taken root in Russia today. As Vladimir Putin's actions continue to shock the west, it seems clear we are witnessing a new 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"--

Book Synopsis

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.

Review Quotes

'Many people over the decades believed that Orwell must have lived or at least been to the Soviet Union, because of his deep understanding of totalitarianism. In her brilliant and informative book, Masha Karp suggests that not much has changed and that the Russia of today under President Putin proves the point that Orwell made following his experience during the Spanish Civil War and his comments in his controversial list of 1949 where he names people in England 'sympathetic to communism'.'

In George Orwell and Russia, Masha Karp explores the relationship between totalitarianism, as imagined by Orwell, and totalitarianism, as it really existed in Soviet Russia. As Russia slides backwards into a new form of authoritarian dictatorship, this book is a timely reminder of what came before.

Karp's Russian view of Orwell is unorthodox and makes a novel case for the continuing relevance of this controversial writer in the age of Putin.

About the Author

Masha Karp is a political journalist and a leading scholar on the work of George Orwell. She worked for the BBC Russian Service between 1991 and 2009, first as producer and then as Features editor. A member of the St. Petersburg Writers' Union and the Literary Translators Guild in Russia, she translated Animal Farm and its original preface 'The Freedom of the Press' into Russian. Her biography of Orwell, the first to be published in Russia, was a finalist for the ABS Literary Prize. She is a member of the board of the Orwell Society and the editor of its journal.