For those living in the Soviet Union, Orwell's masterpieces, Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four, were not dystopias, but accurate depictions of reality. In her new book the Orwell scholar and expert on Russian politics Masha Karp explores how Orwell's work was received in Russia, when it percolated into the country even under censorship. In this event, she will discuss her book with Edward Lucas, and together they will explore how Orwell's writing is read and received in today's Russia.
About the speakers
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.
Edward Lucas is a Non-resident Senior Fellow and Senior Adviser at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA). He was formerly a senior editor at The Economist. Lucas has covered Central and Eastern European affairs since 1986, writing, broadcasting, and speaking on the politics, economics, and security of the region.