A special study conducted by the Australian version of the British newspaper The Guardian (Guardian Australia) found almost 60 similarities or even similar sayings in Hugo's novel "Dogs" ("The Dogs") with the book Aleksievich, first published in Russian in 1985 year, and its English translation - "War's Unwomanly Face" - in 2017.

The case of plagiarism has gained national notoriety, as the novel "Dogs" by John Hughes was on the long list of the most prestigious literary prize in Australia - the Miles Franklin Prize.

Aleksievich: It's outrageous

The Guardian Australia sent a number of excerpts from "Dogs" to Svetlana Aleksievich and asked about the obvious use of her material.

The Belarusian writer sent a short statement through an interpreter, quoted by The Guardian: "I have never heard of The Dogs and have not contacted Hughes.

Verbatim excerpts from my book are outrageous, and I certainly disagreed. ”

When the same passages were shown to the translators of the book "War is not a woman's face", the spouses of Richard Pivir and Larissa Wallachon, they called the similarities and coincidences "quite unusual."

"This is not accidental: not with such specific words, their sequence, the tone of the story," they said.

"Of course, the judges [of the Miles Franklin Literary Prize] and the public should pay attention to this."

Hughes: "I was really surprised"

In a statement to The Guardian, Hughes said he began writing Dogs 15 years ago, and the process included many recordings of conversations with his Ukrainian grandparents that told of many cases similar to those in Aleksievich's book.

The writer said he first read “War is not a woman’s face” when the book was published in English in 2017, and used it in creative writing classes with students.

"I then chose the passages I wanted to use, and I haven't returned to the book itself since," Hughes said.

"At some point, shortly after I probably added them to the transcripts I did in interviews with my grandparents over the years… [I started] considering them my own."

The writer added that the stories of grandparents in his mind mixed with oral stories Aleksievich: "I could not take them away, even if I wanted to."

Hughes continued: "I'm not trying to justify myself here.

I’m rather trying to figure out how I could have so directly used parts of another writer’s work without realizing I was doing it.

I did not intend to publish Aleksievich's work at any stage of my writing, and I was really surprised to see the material included in the newspaper article (there is nothing more disturbing than to find that your creative process is not what you thought). " .

"I would like to apologize to Ms. Aleksievich and her translators for using their words without acknowledgment (their authorship. - RS)," said John Hughes.

The jury of the Miles Franklin Prize (financial part of the award - 60 thousand dollars) removed John Hughes' book "Dogs" from the long list of contenders.

Not only Aleksievich, but others

A few days after the discovery of the plagiarism of John Hughes from the book Aleksievich, The Guardian reported that researchers found in his "Dogs" also excerpts and phrases that are very similar to some formulations and phrases in the books "The Great Gatsby" by Francis Scott Fitzgerald. Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina and Erich Maria Remarque's On the Western Front Without Change.

"I don't think I'm a plagiarist more than any other writer who has been influenced by the greats who were before them," Hughes responded to the new allegations.

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For comparison, here are three short excerpts from the English translation of Svetlana Aleksievich's book "War is not a woman's face" and three corresponding excerpts from John Hughes' book "Dogs", which may fall into the category of literary plagiarism:

War's Unwomanly Face:

Somebody betrayed us… The Germans found out where the camp of our partisan unit was.


[W] e were saved by the swamps where the punitive forces didn't go.


For days, for weeks, we stood up to our necks in the water.

The Dogs:

Someone betrayed us… The Germans found the camp.

We were saved by the swamps.

For days we stood up to our necks.

Mud and water.

War's Unwomanly Face:

The baby was hungry… It had to be nursed… But the mother herself was hungry and had no milk.

The Dogs:

The baby was hungry.


But she was hungry too and had little milk.

War's Unwomanly Face:

The baby cried.

The punitive forces were close… With dogs… If the dogs heard it, we'd all be killed.

The whole group - thirty of us… You understand?


[W] e can't raise our eyes.

Neither to the mother nor to each other…

The Dogs:

[T] he Germans were close… we could hear the dogs.

If the dogs heard it…?


There were thirty of us… No one could look at me… No one… You understand…