Pursuits
Erdogan Sees Evil in `Lord of the Rings' Where Others See Good
- Character analysis of Gollum presented to Turkish court
- Thousands have been charged with insulting President Erdogan
President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Photographer: Murat Cetinmuhurdar/Turkish Presidency/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s lawyers are about to come face to face with “The Lord of the Rings.”
Six months ago, family doctor Bilgin Ciftci lost his job for posting photographs online that appeared to liken Erdogan to Gollum, one of the most infamous creatures from J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic fantasy novel. The doctor was charged with insulting the president. Now, his freedom hinges on a Turkish court’s reading of an existential question about good and evil: Was Gollum "bad?" Or was he simply corrupted by power?