Orwell’s Ukrainian edition of Animal Farm

In March of 1947, famous author George Orwell wrote a preface to his popular anti-totalitarianism novel Animal Farm for displaced Ukrainian citizens throughout Europe.

From Wikipedia:

This Ukrainian edition was an early propaganda use of the book. It was printed to be distributed among the Soviet citizens of Ukraine who were some of the many millions of displaced persons throughout Europe at the end of the Second World War. The American occupation forces considered the edition to be propaganda printed on illegal presses, and handed 1,500 confiscated copies of Animal Farm over to the Soviet authorities. The politics in the book also affected the UK, with Orwell reporting that Ernest Bevin was “terrified”.[6] that it may cause embarrassment if published before the 1945 general election.

You can read the Ukrainian preface online, as it and the rest of the book are now considered public domain in various countries (Canada, Russia, Austrailia but not USA).

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