Molvanîa
 Molvanîa: a Land Untouched by Modern Dentistry | |
| Author | Tom Gleisner; Santo Cilauro; Rob Sitch |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Fictional country |
| Genre | Travel; comedy |
| Publisher | Jetlag travel guide |
Publication date | November 2003 (Australia)[1] |
| Publication place | Australian |
| Followed by | Phaic Tăn |
Molvanîa ('A Land Untouched by Modern Dentistry') is a fictional country set in Eastern Europe for the mock travel guide Molvanîa: a Land Untouched by Modern Dentistry, described as "the birthplace of the whooping cough" and "owner of Europe's oldest nuclear reactor.". It was created by Australians Tom Gleisner, Santo Cilauro and Rob Sitch (of The D-Generation and The Panel fame) to parody travel guidebooks.
History
The book became a surprise success after its initial publication in Australia, sparking a bidding war for the international publication rights. Qantas has even run the half hour video segment produced in association with the book on its international flights.
Controversy
However, the book became a centre of controversy when the UK's former Minister for Europe Keith Vaz accused it of exploiting prejudices about Eastern Europe.
Typographical confusion with Moldova
There has also been some confusion about whether the country actually exists. This could be partly due to the fact that the name is close to the real eastern European country of the Moldova, the circumflexed letter "î" also being characteristic for Moldovan (Romanian), the language of that country. It has been claimed that some tourists who read the tour guide book believed that the country existed and made plans to go there, but this story is probably apocryphal.
Other influences
The authors are travel enthusiasts who have stated that they wished to present in a condensed and humorous form all their bad experiences in Eastern Europe, without insulting a particular country or all countries.
- Molvania does resemble slightly Herge's imaginary countries (Syldavia and Borduria) that are encountered in the adventures of Tintin. This could just be coincidence or a latent residual influence of Tintin.
- The wordplay (in English) in this book, and all subsequent books resembles Herge's wordplay (in French) found in Tintin.
About Molvanîa
The Republic of Molvanîa is a composite of many stereotypes and clichés about Eastern Europe.
The book describes the nation as having been a desolate wasteland for much of its history, torn by civil war and ethnic unrest. Eventually Molvanîa's various warring factions were united as a single kingdom, ruled by a series of cruel despotic kings. In the late 19th Century the monarchy was overthrown, but the royal family remained popular in exile. During World War II the country was invaded by Nazi Germany, and then afterwards was occupied by the Soviet Union who set up a Communist puppet government. After the fall of European Communism in the 1990s, the country became a dictatorship run by a corrupt government with heavy ties to the Mafia.
Molvanîa is described as a very poor and rural country, heavily polluted and geographically barren. The infrastructure is terrible, with necessities such as electricity, clean water, and indoor plumbing being rare finds, largely due to bureaucratic incompetence. Though the tour guide tries to explain otherwise, there is little to do in the country, as all hotels are tiny, filthy, and dilapidated, the ethnic cuisine is disgusting, and the "tourist attractions" are all boring and overpriced. The Molvanîan people in turn are portrayed as being generally rude, dirty, and at times a bit psychotic, with numerous bizarre and illogical beliefs and traditions. The country's patron saint is Fyodor.
Language
The fictional Molvanîan language is said to be so complicated it is said to take an average of 15 years to learn, as not only is the tone in which one speaks important to the meaning, but also the pitch with which one speaks. It is a gendered language, with different articles being used depending on whether a noun is masculine, feminine, neutral, or a type of cheese.
Flag
The Molvanîan national flag, the "Molvanîan Trikolor", is unique in that it has only two colours. After the fall of the Iron Curtain, Molvanîa was the only ex-Soviet state to retain the hammer and sickle. So enamoured were they with the symbols of workers' unity, they added a third tool -- the trowel.
Regions
The capital city of Molvanîa is Lutenblag, located in the Great Central Valley province. The other three provinces are the Eastern Steppes, the Western Plateau, and the Molvanîan Alps.
Sequels
- Subsequent travel guides published include the Southeast Asian nation Phaic Tăn (published 2005) and San Sombrèro in Latin America (published in 2006).