Penguin accused of misusing Turgenev in 'anti-Russian' ad campaign

Anger on web after poster for classics series magnifies line from Fathers and Sons saying progress and principles are things ‘a Russian doesn’t need’

Penguin has been accused of provoking “anger and ethnic hatred” after running an unattributed quote from Ivan Turgenev’s classic novel Fathers and Sons as part of a poster campaign.

The ads, which have been posted in London tube stations, feature unattributed quotes from classics including Henry David Thoreau’s Walden above a Penguin logo. The line Penguin chose to feature from Turgenev’s 1862 novel runs: “Aristocracy, liberalism, progress, principles … Useless words! A Russian doesn’t need them!”

London metro ad for Penguin's classic #Russia|n literature misquoting Turgenev. For propaganda. Compare to original. http://pic.twitter.com/cnq3erC2XT

Related: What Penguins, donkeys and moles have in common

Continue reading...