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Орвелл і біженці. Невідома історія "Колгоспу тварин"
У цій книжці розповідається про незвичайні та важкі обставини з’яви першого у світі перекладу культового твору Джорджа Орвелла “Колгосп тварин”, який був здійснений саме українською мовою. Тут висвітлюються невідомі для широкого загалу сторінки життя Джорджа Орвелла, який доклав дуже багато зусиль, аби відкрити західному суспільству справжню суть радянського тоталітарного режиму. А ще описується життя та побут українців у німецьких таборах для переміщених осіб (DP camps), де і з’явився український переклад “Колгоспу тварин”. Також зі слів очевидця, Олексія Кейса, ми дізнаємося про ті страшні події, які у 20–30 рр. минулого сторіччя відбувалися на теренах України і всього Радянського Союзу, – саме вони й спонукали Джорджа Орвелла до написання “Колгоспу тварин”.
Андреа Чалупа — журналістка, живе у Нью-Йорку. З відзнакою закінчила Університет Девіса в Каліфорнії, де спеціалізувалася на радянській історії. Після закінчення університету жила та навчалася в Україні. Андреа є частим дописувачем у «Хафтінгтон Пост», також вона допомогла запустити онлайн-відео для Condé Nast Portfolio і AOL Money & Finance. Веде бізнес-колонку «Мета» для творчих людей у Big Think. Її перший сценарій «Штучно створено» (історія сталінського Голодомору в Україні, написана на основі розповіді Джорджа Орвелла про його спроби опублікувати «Колгосп Тварин») потрапив в одну з продюсерських компаній і перетворився на постановку, яку згодом було номіновано на премію Американської Академії кіномистецтв.
УДК 821.111’06-312.9.09
ББК 83.3(4Вел)6-8Орвелл
Ч-16
Андреа Чалупа — журналістка, живе у Нью-Йорку. З відзнакою закінчила Університет Девіса в Каліфорнії, де спеціалізувалася на радянській історії. Після закінчення університету жила та навчалася в Україні. Андреа є частим дописувачем у «Хафтінгтон Пост», також вона допомогла запустити онлайн-відео для Condé Nast Portfolio і AOL Money & Finance. Веде бізнес-колонку «Мета» для творчих людей у Big Think. Її перший сценарій «Штучно створено» (історія сталінського Голодомору в Україні, написана на основі розповіді Джорджа Орвелла про його спроби опублікувати «Колгосп Тварин») потрапив в одну з продюсерських компаній і перетворився на постановку, яку згодом було номіновано на премію Американської Академії кіномистецтв.
УДК 821.111’06-312.9.09
ББК 83.3(4Вел)6-8Орвелл
Ч-16
- GenresNonfictionHistoryRussia
93 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
35 people are currently reading
256 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
September 29, 2017
Love this book. It connected with things I had done in the past in so many ways.
I read "Animal Farm" when I still lived in Austria at a summer camp I attended to improve my English speaking skills. The teacher was a young Brit, who taught English and history, hence was able to explain his love for the book.
Finally, now I put all pieces of the puzzle together. Andrea Chalupa describes how "Animal Farm" was discovered and distributed by Ukranian refugees, people who had firsthand knowledge of Stalin's deeds.
"... In Munich, 1947, a group of Ukrainian refugees at a small press called Prometej—or Prometheus—printed 5,000 copies of a Ukrainian translation of Animal Farm..."
Indeed, at the time, criticizing Stalin isn't popular, after all, he helped win the war. Though the printed books are being discovered and confiscated "... about 2,000 copies had already been distributed. These books traveled with Ukrainian refugees as they immigrated to America, Canada, South America, Australia, and the other parts of the world that welcomed those displaced by World War II..."
I had no idea that this is how it happened.
It is comforting to know that for once "the system worked." People who not only treasured but needed this book, learned that somebody, George Orwell, knew what happened to them and created a book that would help others to to understand what happened and how it happened. The Ukrainians were able to start their own revolution and in a way pay back Stalin by spreading Orwell's book and making him the icon he is today.
This part of history still matters. Late January 2017, Orwell's 1984 became a bestseller again. Had it not been for "Animal Farm's" success he might have never written "1984," especially considering that his health was always poor.
If Orwell's books mean something to you, you probably want to read this book, it's fascinating.
5 stars,
Gisela Hausmann, author & blogger
I read "Animal Farm" when I still lived in Austria at a summer camp I attended to improve my English speaking skills. The teacher was a young Brit, who taught English and history, hence was able to explain his love for the book.
Finally, now I put all pieces of the puzzle together. Andrea Chalupa describes how "Animal Farm" was discovered and distributed by Ukranian refugees, people who had firsthand knowledge of Stalin's deeds.
"... In Munich, 1947, a group of Ukrainian refugees at a small press called Prometej—or Prometheus—printed 5,000 copies of a Ukrainian translation of Animal Farm..."
Indeed, at the time, criticizing Stalin isn't popular, after all, he helped win the war. Though the printed books are being discovered and confiscated "... about 2,000 copies had already been distributed. These books traveled with Ukrainian refugees as they immigrated to America, Canada, South America, Australia, and the other parts of the world that welcomed those displaced by World War II..."
I had no idea that this is how it happened.
It is comforting to know that for once "the system worked." People who not only treasured but needed this book, learned that somebody, George Orwell, knew what happened to them and created a book that would help others to to understand what happened and how it happened. The Ukrainians were able to start their own revolution and in a way pay back Stalin by spreading Orwell's book and making him the icon he is today.
This part of history still matters. Late January 2017, Orwell's 1984 became a bestseller again. Had it not been for "Animal Farm's" success he might have never written "1984," especially considering that his health was always poor.
If Orwell's books mean something to you, you probably want to read this book, it's fascinating.
5 stars,
Gisela Hausmann, author & blogger
April 24, 2016
Для всіх, кому цікаво, як "Колгосп тварин", окрім алюзій, пов'язаний з Україною.
September 20, 2017
Immediately after the end of the Second World War in Europe and before the start of the Cold War between the Soviet block and the Allies, there was a period of cooperation. The allied forces led by the Americans were willing to do what Soviet leader Joseph Stalin wanted, that included the transfer of people originally from the Soviet Union that ended up in other European nations.
A large block of Ukrainians were in Allied held territory and Stalin wanted them back. Due to the deliberate famine in Ukraine in the 1930’s many of them were strongly anti-Soviet and some had even fought on the side of the Germans. Eager to please Stalin, the Allied forces agreed to send many of them back. Yet, some managed through many means to remain in western Europe and they developed a vibrant culture based on their Ukrainian heritage.
While many western intellectuals believed in the Soviet propaganda that everything was great in the Soviet Union, George Orwell was one that knew better. Orwell had traveled to Spain to fight fascism and joined the POUM faction. After being wounded, he witnessed the labeling of the POUM as a Trotskyist group and he barely escaped. His experiences in Spain had a lot to do with his writing of his classic political satire, “Animal Farm,” a thinly disguised criticism of the Soviet regime.
When the book was published shortly after the end of the Second World War in Europe, it was not well received and the Allied forces suppressed it as anti-Soviet. However, it was a big hit among the Ukrainian expatriate people.
In this book, a great deal of this background material regarding Orwell, his development of “Animal Farm” and the development of the Ukrainian culture outside of the borders of what became the Ukrainian SSR is explained. It is an amazing and extremely informative book, describing a set of events that are a dark stain on the actions of the Allies in their cooperation with Stalin. I strongly recommend it as reading in history courses that delve deeply into the immediate aftermath of the Second World War in Europe and how Stalin played the Allies for his own purposes.
A large block of Ukrainians were in Allied held territory and Stalin wanted them back. Due to the deliberate famine in Ukraine in the 1930’s many of them were strongly anti-Soviet and some had even fought on the side of the Germans. Eager to please Stalin, the Allied forces agreed to send many of them back. Yet, some managed through many means to remain in western Europe and they developed a vibrant culture based on their Ukrainian heritage.
While many western intellectuals believed in the Soviet propaganda that everything was great in the Soviet Union, George Orwell was one that knew better. Orwell had traveled to Spain to fight fascism and joined the POUM faction. After being wounded, he witnessed the labeling of the POUM as a Trotskyist group and he barely escaped. His experiences in Spain had a lot to do with his writing of his classic political satire, “Animal Farm,” a thinly disguised criticism of the Soviet regime.
When the book was published shortly after the end of the Second World War in Europe, it was not well received and the Allied forces suppressed it as anti-Soviet. However, it was a big hit among the Ukrainian expatriate people.
In this book, a great deal of this background material regarding Orwell, his development of “Animal Farm” and the development of the Ukrainian culture outside of the borders of what became the Ukrainian SSR is explained. It is an amazing and extremely informative book, describing a set of events that are a dark stain on the actions of the Allies in their cooperation with Stalin. I strongly recommend it as reading in history courses that delve deeply into the immediate aftermath of the Second World War in Europe and how Stalin played the Allies for his own purposes.
October 18, 2013
Andrea’s book was not only inspiring, but also relatable. As the descendent of former DPs who survived the Holodomor and Stalin's horrors, this book brought me to tears. Her stories are my family's stories; stories that are finally being written down and told.
Her heartfelt stories about the connection of Animal Farm to Ukrainian DPs and her own family history leaves a deep resonance with the reader.
Her story was also one of an underdog, George Orwell, who struggled to publish a book that exposed the truth of a hidden genocide, covered up by the Soviet regime and media figures like Walter Duranty. In his short book, Orwell exposes an evil that sought to eliminate a people, decimate a culture and eradicate a nation.
Her heartfelt stories about the connection of Animal Farm to Ukrainian DPs and her own family history leaves a deep resonance with the reader.
Her story was also one of an underdog, George Orwell, who struggled to publish a book that exposed the truth of a hidden genocide, covered up by the Soviet regime and media figures like Walter Duranty. In his short book, Orwell exposes an evil that sought to eliminate a people, decimate a culture and eradicate a nation.
April 25, 2016
Цікавий фактаж; помірно цікавий текст - дещо аж надто емоційний, але таке; місцями доволі дивний переклад (тільки в моєму випадку стилістичні неоковирності навіки затьмарило оригінальне рішення перекладати "Іст-Вілидж"); справді цінні додаткові матеріали. Але яким би не був цей невеличкий текст, найперше, що важить в ньому - самий факт появи українською. Ідея не просто на голому місці видавати Орвелла, але ще й створювати навколо нього контекст - це дуже круто, й для українських видавців... не дуже характерно. Ґут, хочу іще.
July 21, 2017
Ein kleines, wundersames Werk, das vor persönlichem Hintergrund so strotzt und neben der Geschichte der "Animal Farm" sehr einigen Hintergrund zur ukrainischen Diaspora in Deutschland der damaligen Zeit liefert.
In dem Sinne sehr lesenswert und ebenso kurzweilig. Man merkt dem Buch die Liebe zur eigenen Familie an, die in ihm steckt.
In dem Sinne sehr lesenswert und ebenso kurzweilig. Man merkt dem Buch die Liebe zur eigenen Familie an, die in ihm steckt.
August 31, 2017
Good if meandering look at how Animal Farm affected the post-WWII era. Airdrop this over KSA, Iran, Belarus, N. Korea, China, Venezuela imho.
July 12, 2013
Quick read, puts Animal Farm into some great context, which is something I've been really interested in lately [putting various bits of history/pieces of art in context with each other]. It's a $1 Kindle book and worth your time in my opinion.
May 3, 2019
Excellent
A glimpse into what was really going in on the USSR during the days of Stalin. Fascinating personal weaving of those horrific realities with Orwell's Animal Farm.
A glimpse into what was really going in on the USSR during the days of Stalin. Fascinating personal weaving of those horrific realities with Orwell's Animal Farm.
October 26, 2023
I am a huge fan of Gaslit Nation Podcast with Sarah Kendzior and Andrea Chalupa But i was surprised that Andrea had written a book as well, she is of course very well known for her journalism and activism on issues on Ukraine ( amongst others) and Her great filmmaking (Mr Jones 2019).
Orwell and the refugees was at once an intimate portrait of Andreas family escaping Stalin and George orwells powerful book Animal farm that represented hope for many Ukrainians feeling Stalin's murderous regime.
Andrea ties in Orwells story, which he had a hard time getting published and then after the war he has a hard time getting it to people because the allies wrongly thought Stalin was an ally.
It worth the read check it out.
Orwell and the refugees was at once an intimate portrait of Andreas family escaping Stalin and George orwells powerful book Animal farm that represented hope for many Ukrainians feeling Stalin's murderous regime.
Andrea ties in Orwells story, which he had a hard time getting published and then after the war he has a hard time getting it to people because the allies wrongly thought Stalin was an ally.
It worth the read check it out.
January 17, 2016
Досить цікава розповідь та коротеньке дослідження про Орвелла, його листування з ініціатором першого в світі перекладу роману Колгосп тварин та ще й на українську мову. У книзі побіжно включили спогади дідуся авторки Олексія Кейса, котрий пережив Голодомор і всі жахіття радянської влади. Строкато надруковано і якось не дуже тримається купи, як на мене.
February 23, 2016
Маленька, але вражаюча книга. Тут історія створення і видання "Колгоспу тварин" українською мовою (Animal Farm вперше було перекладено саме українською) переплетена з історіями з життя біженців від комуністичного режиму. Завжди важко читати про злочини цього режиму, повного крові та ненависті, але це неодмінно треба робити.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews