George Orwell's Censorship in the Soviet Union: A Dark Legacy

The works of George Orwell, particularly his most famous novels Animal Farm and 1984, were subject to severe censorship in the Soviet Union. The intense reactions from the Soviet government to these critical pieces led to their banning and the efforts to control the information flow, creating a dark legacy that permeated not only the national borders but also influenced the lives of its readers.

1984: A Global Warning Met with Censorship

1984 was published in 1949 as a warning against totalitarian regimes. However, its stark vision of a future in which individual freedom is systematically dismantled drew the ire of Soviet authorities. The novel was banned in the Soviet Union until 1988, a period that spanned decades of ideological conflict.

Orwell used the figure of Joseph Stalin, the former Premier of the Soviet Union, as a key inspiration for his character Big Brother. Stalin was not only a symbol of the Soviet regime but also of a cult of personality that controlled and manipulated its citizens. The Soviet government saw the novel as a direct attack on the very foundation of its propaganda machine. In 1984, the Thought Police enforced the state's mandatory belief system, a mechanism that mirrored elements of the real-life Soviet State. Orwell's use of doublethink as a central theme further astirred the authorities, especially as it undermined the notion of absolute authority that the Soviet regime had striven to establish.

Animal Farm: A Pioneering Translation

Animal Farm, a satirical novella published in 1945, also faced censorship. The Soviet Union banned the book almost immediately upon its publication. This was due to its powerful allegory of the Russian Revolution and its subsequent betrayal by the Communist Party leaders, especially Stalin. The Soviet government, fearful of the exposure of the party's shortcomings, chose to ban the text to control and suppress its message.

Despite the official ban, Animal Farm found its way into the Soviet Union through unauthorized means. In 1947, a Ukrainian translation of Animal Farm was published and distributed to European refugee camps. The Ukrainian version was written as Kolhosp tvaryn: kazka. Orwell himself penned a preface for the Ukrainian edition and refused to accept royalties, underscoring his commitment to the message of his work. Notably, one shipment of 1500 books was intercepted by US authorities and transferred to the Soviet censors for destruction as they saw it as potential propaganda.

A profile of this Ukrainian translation was published in the Atlantic, under the title 'How “Animal Farm” Gave Hope to Stalin’s Refugees.' The entire Ukrainian edition can be accessed via the file Колгосп Тварин: Казка.pdf.

Orwell's Books and the Soviet Authorities

In the Soviet Union, George Orwell's works were not translated into Russian. If his books were found in the luggage of an entry, they would be confiscated. Foreign citizens were at risk of being expelled if caught with copies. Even Soviet citizens were not spared. Possession of Orwell's books could lead to prosecution under charges of 'anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda.'

To mitigate the threat, single copies of Orwell's works were made available only to specialists and researchers, a classification reserved for a select few. These copies were held in Spetzkhrán repositories, which were highly classified and had restricted access. Members of the Nomenklatura, the governing class, had access to referéntskyie obzóry, which were brief summaries of classified materials, including summarized descriptions of book plots with selected quotes.

George Orwell's works were not just censored in the Soviet Union; they were a central point of controversy and resistance. Their ban and the culture of secrecy surrounding them reveal the extent of control the Soviet regime had over the dissemination of information. Orwell's works continue to serve as a powerful reminder of the dangers of totalitarianism and the importance of intellectual freedom.

Conclusion: Orwell's censored legacy in the Soviet Union underscores the determined efforts of the regime to suppress dissenting voices, particularly those that questioned its authority and principles. The legacy of his works, despite the censorship, serves as a testament to the enduring impact of his writing on global literature and political thought.