As we approach Banned Books Week 2018 we consider George Orwell and his struggle against oppression and silence. That took the form of essays such as "The Prevention of Literature", and more practical efforts. It is thought that the only organisation in which George Orwell took a organising role was the Freedom Defence Committee. Steve…Read more Orwell and Freedom
The Orwell Society is pleased to announce that George Orwell's personal archive has been added to the UNESCO register. The archive is held at University College London. Image from the Orwell Archive George Orwell’s personal archive added to UNESCO register (on the UCL website; 19th September 2018) UCL Press Release For immediate release George Orwell’s…Read more UNESCO Register
Quentin Kopp, Orwell Society Events Secretary, and son of George Orwell's commander in Spain Georges Kopp, reports on September's events in Wigan and Manchester to celebrate the launch of the Wigan Pier 80 Project web-site. The Wigan Pier Project Launch Events September 9th & 11th Background Ros Wynne-Jones and her colleague Claire Donnelly have…Read more Project Launches
First winner of Orwell Society Journalism Bursary announced Peter Chappell, a recent Cambridge University graduate, is the first winner of The Orwell Society’s £1,500 bursary for journalism students. Peter starts his postgraduate newspaper course at City, University of London, on 17 September. The bursaries were open to undergraduate and post-graduate students in the UK. Applicants…Read more 2018 Bursary Awarded
Our North American correspondent, Carol Biederstadt, recently attended a talk by Eric Laursen, who spoke about his new book on George Orwell and pacifism in the Second World War. She tells us about it now. * “Is There Such Thing As a Good War?” Eric Laursen Speaks on The Duty to Stand Aside by…Read more The Comfort of Pacifism?
Dr Gleb Zilberstein's investigation of George Orwell's health involved examining a letter written to Sergey Dinamov, editor of International Literature, a magazine published in Moscow, and distributed in several European languages. Here we describe the magazine itself, with some examples. Photograph supplied by Dr Zilberstein International Literature was dedicated to a Marxist or progressive reading,…Read more Science and International Literature
The world changes. Can dystopiae change? Can authors imagine new dystopiae enough to convince a sceptical reader? We asked Melissa Coulton to review Phil Gilvin's Truth Sister, a YA (Young Adult) novel recently published by Impress Books. Here is her report. Phil Gilvin’s Truth Sister Reviewed by Melissa Coulton The Story The year…Read more Truth Sister
