How To Read Donald Duck (1971)

[1875dime]

I just recently go this book for $25 at a comic con. Has anyone else read this? I'd love to know y'alls thoughts.

More info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Read_Donald_Duck

[Scroogerello]

Bah, I've heard of it, yes. Carl Barks himself referred to it as "commie propaganda" in one of his letters ( inducks.org/s.php?c=Qus%2FLICU+42B ). 

Full quote from the letter (from the correspondence between Rosa and Barks):

"I do have a criticism, however. Your handling of Uncle Scrooge makes him come across as a snarling, pushy old looter every bit as the Scrooge pictured in the Chilean commie propaganda publication 'How to read Donald Duck'. You stressed right out the similarity between him and Kublai Kahn. I hope this isn't the way you view him personally."

[RobbK1]

Jan 28, 2018 19:56:59 GMT 1875dime said:

I just recently go this book for $25 at a comic con. Has anyone else read this? I'd love to know y'alls thoughts.

More info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Read_Donald_Duck

I have read it.  And, although it clearly has a political agenda, and leftist (at least USA idea of "leftists") point of view, I feel that many of, if not most of their points are valid.  Barks' and his successors' Scrooge acts like The European colonial empires' economic exploiters of their colonies, stripping the 3rd Worldcolonies of their resources and wealth.  He travels to these foreign lands and strips their natural resources away by mining minerals, and drilling oil and removing it, and despoiling the natural environment by building polluting factories.  He also finds their ancient artifacts, and takes them to his own country.  Is this a man to admire?  That is why, although I enjoy reading Uncle Scrooge adventure stories, I respect and identify with Donald a lot more.

[iggy]

For me scrooge being a mix between a capitalist caricature and a dictator is what makes him fun and lovable, at least this is how I see him. I have no problem with it and I think people shouldnt take such things too seriously, its a comic after all, its not some undercover attack on anyone's political or other belief system

[timoro]

Funny coincidence; I just bought the first English printing of this book (1975) and started to go through it. The Finnish edition (1980) has no footnotes or any source references to comics stories the book is talking about. I also have scans of original spanish edition, which *do have* all references to Chilian comic books writers are referring to. So I'm trying to find every reference the text includes to make some sort of annotated commentary for the Finnish edition. At the time book was translated it was practically impossible to track down all those stories. But now, thanks to INDUCKS it can be done.
What Robb says about the book (or pamphlet) is accurate enough, but Barks' stories have bitter satire which can be interpret in many ways. Can be seen even critical to colonial and capitalist ethics. That makes them so delicios and great reading. --> Further recommendable reading: Thomas Andrae's Carl Barks and the Disney Comic Book - Unmasking the Myth of Modernity.

Timo

[hex]

Looks like a new edition of the book will be published later this year:

www.amazon.com/Read-Donald-Duck-Ariel-Dorfman/dp/1944869832/

[Matilda]

Feb 23, 2018 5:18:29 GMT hex said:

Looks like a new edition of the book will be published later this year:

www.amazon.com/Read-Donald-Duck-Ariel-Dorfman/dp/1944869832/

Well, that's a bizarre publishing decision.