Alterity and Dislocation in Central and Eastern European Illustrations for The Lord of the Rings 1981 -1993

My current research explores alterity and the shifting of visual signifiers (dislocation) within late 20th century Central and Eastern European Illustrated translations of J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. Through the analysis of the work of illustrators originating from two former Soviet Republics (Russia and Georgia) and three former Soviet satellite states (Bulgaria, Hungary and Poland), I hope to reveal fresh incidences of cross-cultural contact and motif appropriation occurring within global Tolkien visual culture during the final years of Communist rule.

By adopting a ground-up contextualising approach which connects each illustrator’s individual narrative to country-specific and wider Soviet, and post-Soviet narratives, my project emphasises the distinct regional specificity of content and context present within the illustrations, whilst also acknowledging and elucidating the interface of eastern/western visual motifs.