The novel “Animal Farm” was written by George Orwell, whose other work (the novel “1984”) was declared extremist in Belarus. The story tells how animal freedom turned into a dictatorship. The story parallels the history of the advent of Soviet government. Thus old Major, calling for revolt, recalls Lenin; the enterprising pig Snowball recalls Trotsky; and Napoleon, who eventually seized control, recalls Stalin. With each part, tyranny strengthens in the animal farm, and the precepts of hivelism (animal ideology) are rewritten beyond recognition.
The first part of the novel “Animal Farm” tells us the cause and motivation for the Revolt, for which everyone was motivated by the pig-headed old Major. He called out the animals (prototypical of the workers and peasants) to fight man (the ruling class) and overthrow Mr. Jones (prototypical of Nikolai II). This is also where the ideology was formed, which everyone was to follow.
This is Sergei Shupa’s translation from 1992. The poetic texts were translated by Oleg Minkin. Belarus FM offers to purchase a restored re-edition of the translation in the Belarusian language from the independent publisher “Vesna” in Prague:
– at https://allegro.pl/oferta/ferma-zywiolau-george-orwell-12567503712
– or in Warsaw – at the Belarus Youth Hub (pl. Konstytucji 6)
– or in Prague – then write to vesnav@seznam.cz
