Visit The *EVEN NEWER* Barrow-Downs Photo Page |
|
01-01-2011, 08:09 AM | #1 |
Guard of the Citadel
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Oxon
Posts: 2,205
|
The Soviet "Hobbit"
Hey all,
Firstly I want to wish you all a great year 2011! Secondly, after a quick search that didn't show any similar threads, I just decided to post a nice link to a page showing illustrations of a Soviet edition of the "Hobbit" published in 1976. http://www.howtobearetronaut.com/201...soviet-hobbit/ I especially like how Gollum was drawn and how the Orcs have been transformed into wolf riding vikings.
__________________
“The invisible and the non-existent look very much alike.”
Delos B. McKown |
01-01-2011, 09:54 AM | #2 |
Ghost Prince of Cardolan
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 3,448
|
Very interesting like the Art Style! Although they did seem to take the Hariy Feet to a bit of an extreme
|
01-01-2011, 10:11 AM | #3 |
Gruesome Spectre
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Heaven's doorstep
Posts: 8,037
|
What's Bilbo holding on the cover anyway? It looks like a diamond. Is that supposed to be the Ring? The Arkenstone?
It's always interesting to see how the different cultures interpret such subjective things as book illustrations. They have Beorn looking like Sean Connery in Time Bandits.
__________________
Music alone proves the existence of God. Last edited by Inziladun; 01-01-2011 at 10:21 AM. |
01-01-2011, 10:05 AM | #4 |
Wight of the Old Forest
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Unattended on the railway station, in the litter at the dancehall
Posts: 3,329
|
Great find, TM! I love that Eastern European style of illustrations. That's not really my Gandalf, and Gollum is more hilareous than creepy with his nose looking like a carrot, but in general, I think the pictures work very well for The Hobbit as a children's book. The one of Bard killing Smaug is gorgeous, and Beorn is captured very well, too.
__________________
Und aus dem Erebos kamen viele seelen herauf der abgeschiedenen toten.- Homer, Odyssey, Canto XI |
01-01-2011, 12:04 PM | #5 | |
Blossom of Dwimordene
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: The realm of forgotten words
Posts: 10,401
|
Quote:
And happy New Year, everyone!
__________________
You passed from under darkened dome, you enter now the secret land. - Take me to Finrod's fabled home!... ~ Finrod: The Rock Opera Last edited by Galadriel55; 01-01-2011 at 01:37 PM. |
|
01-01-2011, 12:20 PM | #6 |
Wight of the Old Forest
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Unattended on the railway station, in the litter at the dancehall
Posts: 3,329
|
Makes me wonder, maybe Russian doesn't have different words for foot and leg? The Swabian dialect of German, for example, doesn't distinguish between the two - if someone from that region says 'I han mr en fueß broche' ('I've broken my foot'), they may well mean they've broken their thigh-bone.
__________________
Und aus dem Erebos kamen viele seelen herauf der abgeschiedenen toten.- Homer, Odyssey, Canto XI |
01-01-2011, 12:51 PM | #7 | |
A Voice That Gainsayeth
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: In that far land beyond the Sea
Posts: 7,431
|
Quote:
The children's book style is actually rather nice. I know that the original version in Czech (from something like 70's too, I believe?) has also more like children-story-like pictures (I could possibly link those too) which look in a way rather similar, only the later version published in the 90's has Tolkien's own illustrations. As for this one, the Gollum looking here a bit serpent-like is quite interesting. I must say, these different depictions are rather interesting in the way that they challenge your personal interpretation and make it more.. well, more interesting. (For that matter, it'd be great to see some, say, Chinese or Mid-Eastern depiction of that, if anything like that exists). As for what Pitch said about the hairy feet/legs, I cannot think about it from the top of my head, but I am rather more convinced that there is a different word for feet and legs in Russian. But it just might be confused in some way... or whatever.
__________________
"Should the story say 'he ate bread,' the dramatic producer can only show 'a piece of bread' according to his taste or fancy, but the hearer of the story will think of bread in general and picture it in some form of his own." -On Fairy-Stories |
|
01-01-2011, 01:32 PM | #8 | |
Blossom of Dwimordene
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: The realm of forgotten words
Posts: 10,401
|
There are different words for "feet" and "legs" in Russian. Here the artist's imagination took him/her a bit too far.
As for the goblin meaning, I've checked a few dictionaries to make sure: it means "magical creature in English folklore" (translated word-by word from a dictionary). I don't know why specifically English. However, it also says that the concept of "English goblins" is quite similar to a Russian folklore character thats basically a bad spirit that's forced to live amongst humans that does mischief among them. I think this quote from an online dictionary (translated by me) will interest you: Quote:
Yet another opinion about orcs and goblins.
__________________
You passed from under darkened dome, you enter now the secret land. - Take me to Finrod's fabled home!... ~ Finrod: The Rock Opera Last edited by Galadriel55; 01-01-2011 at 01:38 PM. |
|
01-01-2011, 03:00 PM | #9 |
Curmudgeonly Wordwraith
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Ensconced in curmudgeonly pursuits
Posts: 2,509
|
In Soviet Russia, Sauron reads about you.
__________________
And your little sister's immaculate virginity wings away on the bony shoulders of a young horse named George who stole surreptitiously into her geography revision. |
01-01-2011, 03:44 PM | #10 |
Shade of Carn Dűm
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 435
|
There are in MODERN Russian, but this book as noted came out in 1976. Back then there may not have been seperate words. I know for a fact that there weren't in the 30's and 40's (There was a note about it in my english translation of Volkov's Urfin Djus and his Wooden Soldiers when the translator described his difficulty in finding an English term to describe six legged animals.) in 1976, who knows?
|
01-03-2011, 07:19 AM | #11 |
Ghost Prince of Cardolan
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: In Eldamar beside the walls of Elven Tirion
Posts: 551
|
Smaug looks like he's made out of cardboard (where he's being shot )
Interesting style. Bilbo's legs...well, they look like rattle-snakes gone awry, but...I don't I should say anymore (zips lips).
__________________
"Hey! Come derry dol! Can you hear me singing?" – Tom Bombadil |
|
|