Alice in a Russan Wonderland: How Lewis Caroll's Obsessions Played in Moscow

"Earlier this year, the world celebrated the 175th anniversary of the birth of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, better known under his pen name, Lewis Carroll. Virtually anyone who loves books can tell you that Carroll is the author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, a masterpiece of children's literature that has been translated into more than 100 languages, including Russian.

But few people know the story of how Alice appeared in Russia -- a fantastic tale with several twists and turns that are almost as absurd as the book itself.

Alice first came out in Russian nearly 130 years ago, but back then, it seemed the book would not fare well here. The anonymously translated version of 1879 was met with confusion and bewilderment. 'Tiring, most boring, most confused sick delusions of a little girl'; 'absurd dreams may be recounted in a family circle for fun, but they are not published, illustrated and presented to the general public'; 'one can hardly imagine anything less sensible and more absurd than this fairy tale; all mothers are urged to disregard this worthless fantasy'-- such was the critical consensus in Russia at the time..."

http://context.themoscowtimes.com/story/174970/

the very soft-core picture essay by Rom Devisig HERE

via Wit