The Revolt of the Animals
Wladyslaw Reymont (1867-1925) was a Polish writer who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1924, shortly before his death. His novel The Revolt of the Animals was interpreted as an allegory of the Bolshevik Revolution and an attack on Communism and although initially published, it was then suppressed until 2004.
The book opens with the dog, Rex, being cruelly beaten and driven out from his home. From then on, he views humans as the enemy of all animals, both domesticated and wild, and becomes convinced that they should be freed from bondage. He incites them to revolt and accompany him to the “Promised Land”, a land of plenty and justice for them all. The animals are persuaded and decide to follow him. Sadly, their journey is a long and difficult one. Their sufferings and hardships become too much to be borne and disillusion sets in. They begin to question whether life with their human masters had been so bad after all. Slowly they begin to turn against Rex, not least because he becomes increasingly brutal and dictatorial.
The novel is often compared to Orwell’s Animal Farm, in being a parable of how ideals can so easily be corrupted and how quickly the oppressed can turn into the oppressors. It is often seen as a reactionary work, with Reymont seeming to suggest that the vast majority of animals – or mankind – are sheep who simply need to be led and who can’t handle freedom.
It is a compelling narrative, horrific in its depiction of animal suffering. The writing is overblown at times, and the journey repetitive as disaster follows disaster, but overall, it’s a complex and thought-provoking read.
