Today a friend sent me a 1977 review of “The Lord of the Rings” from the Communist Rude Pravo newspaper. I have to translate it in all its evil glory:
This is another attack on the Socialist system. The evil empire, spewing ash and smoke and clearly placed in the East, is an image of the workers’ class, which, with sweaty brows, jointly builds heavy industry. They’re supposed to be the repugnant and evil dwarves.
Of course, the son of a bourgeoisie family cannot see anything beautiful or ennobling about hard labor. The residents of the west – a land flowing with milk and honey – are elves (or the aristocracy), people (bourgeoisie), and hobbits (landholders) and live on the other hand in affluence (it’s not explained how they gained this) and the only thing bothering them is the “threat” from the east.
The “forces of good” are presented as a collection of the exponents of these reactionary circles, whose hands have never been touched by hard labor. Their leader is Gandalf, the spreader of this retrograde ideology, with whose help the people are kept unconscious and fearful of Progress.
It comes as no surprise that Saruman, the defender of the oppressed and a friend of Progress, is proclaimed a traitor, and his residence is destroyed by the fanatical retrograde fighters.
When he spreads socialism in the Land, he is caught and punished without trial by the Hobbits, who are supported and paid by Gondor, the Capitalist.
But Socialism luckily cannot be destroyed by throwing some relic, even the holiest relic, into the fire.
Hold on, Mordor, surrounded by enemy reactionary neighbors.
I may have gotten a few of the details wrong in this translation, so I’m including it in the extended text.
UPDATE 2225 9 Mar 04: I didn’t know there was a whole thread about this piece on Expats.cz. There are also a couple of alternate translations there too. The original text may also be a hoax, as it was posted on a Beat Radio’s site with no other explanation. Maybe it’s too good to be true?
Pán prstenů v Rudém Právu z roku 1977 /9. 2. 2004/
Jde o dalšà útok proti socialistickému zřÃzenÃ. ŘÃÅ¡e zla, z nÞ se valÃ
popel a dým, je průhledně umÃstěna na východě, obrazem dělnické třÃdy, která
jednotná v potu tváře buduje těžký průmysl, majà být odpornà a zlà skřeti.
Samozřejmě, že synáček z buržoaznà rodiny nemůže vidět na těžké práci nic
krásného a povznášejÃcÃho. Obyvatelé západu – zemà oplývajÃcÃch mlékem a
strdÃm – elfové (neboli aristokracie), lidé ( buržoazie) a hobiti (statkáři)
žijà naopak v blahobytu (aniž je vysvětleno, odkud jej zÃskávajÃ) a jedině,
co je trápÃ, je “hrozba” z východu. “SÃly dobra” zde představuje sbÃrka
představitelů těchto reakčnÃch kruhů, jejichž ruce se nikdy nedotkly pořádné
práce. Jejich vůdcem je Gandalf, Å¡iřitel zpátečnické ideologie, s jejÞ
pomocà udržuje obyvatelstvo v nevědomosti a strachu před pokrokem. ( …! ).
Nenà pak divu, že Saruman, zastánce utlačovaných a přÃtel pokroku, je
prohlášen za zrádce a jeho sÃdlo je zničeno bojůvkou fanatických zpátečnÃků.
Když pak Å¡Ãřà socialismus v Kraji, je chycen a bez soudu potrestán hobity,
podporovanými a placenými kapitalistickou mocnostà Gondorem. ( ………!)
Ale socialismus se naÅ¡těstà nedá zničit hozenÃm jakékoli své relikvie, i té
nejposvátnějÅ¡Ã, do ohně.
Drž se Mordore, obklÃčený nepřátelskými reakčnÃmi sousedy.
Better late than never: yes, it’s a hoax (or an example of memetic idiocy). It was translated from Polish (soon losing attribution to their Communist daily from 1971) in spring 2002; see the history in comments here. And in Polish, it is possible to find six spoof reviews of LOTR from various viewpoints, this being the most extreme.
your analysis is interresting, but don’t forget that Tolkien mais the first world war, not the second. I think the atmosphere, the context of Lord of the ring is more inspired on this period of the history. Tolkien never fighted against communist…