The Censored Hungarian Edition of Henryk Sienkiewicz’s Novel In Desert and Wilderness

Abstract

Henryk Sienkiewicz's novel In Desert and Wilderness, published in 1959, was censored several times. The censored parts have a certain connection and can be grouped thematically. These themes (the “savagery” of Arabs and Negroes, the superiority of England and Christianity) are related to colonial literature, and because they did not match with the principles of Communism it was necessary to delete them. The fact of censorship was not noted anywhere in the Hungarian publication, so it has been published in the same form since 1959, because even if we had guessed, we certainly did not know that the novel had been mutilated. In my work, I present some omitted parts and make suggestions on how to repair and complete the translation.