The Hobbit In Russia

The curators of all things weird and Soviet bloc over at English Russia have a collection of wonderful illustrations from the 1976 edition of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, by Mikhail Belomlinsky. A prolific illustrator of children’s books, Belominsky’s interpretations are that perfect mix of foreboding and fun. I am especially smitten with his rendition of Gollum. I would love to get my hands on a copy for the illustrations alone, regardless of my inability to actually read it.

Posted by Ross Rosenberg on June 1st, 2010
Filed under Art, Kid Stuff, Russia

6 Responses to “The Hobbit In Russia”

  1. Petter L Says:
    June 1st, 2010 at 11:51 am

    Those are wonderful.

    If you haven’t seen it you should definitely check out the 1962 Swedish/Finnish version with illustrations by Tove Jansson, the creator of Moomin.

    http://www.zepe.de/tjillu/hobbit/index.html

  2. B Says:
    June 1st, 2010 at 8:57 pm

    Aw. I want it! It would be perfect for assisting with my Russian studies. That’s justification, right?

  3. lizzelizzel Says:
    June 2nd, 2010 at 8:13 pm

    Ah! I love the Gollum!

  4. Elana Says:
    June 3rd, 2010 at 7:38 am

    I remember my father reading out of this book to me as a child in Odessa (Ukraine) and showing me these drawings. I think he still has it somewhere on his bookshelf… Major soft spot for all of this!

  5. Zoetica Says:
    June 3rd, 2010 at 9:21 am

    Elana, this edition is part of my childhood, too – I read it when I was a kid! Megaswoon.

  6. Larissa Says:
    June 3rd, 2010 at 11:54 am

    Gorgeous! I can’t help think what great tattoos some of these would make!