Orwell as Warning, Witness, and Writer

For Christmas this year I was given a number of books including The Diaries of George Orwell, edited by Peter Davison with an introduction by Christopher Hitchens. (So many books, so little time!)

The book is not a complete compilation of Orwell's diaries. Rather, it extracts portions thematically from the various periods of his life beginning with 1931, 1936 (Road to Wigan Pier), domestic life, 1939 Morocco diaries, events leading up to the war, war diaries and relevant excerpts from Orwell's notebooks. 

Essentially this compilation offers an intimate, unguarded view of Orwell’s daily life and moral temperament. Spanning illness, wartime London, farming, and political anxiety, the entries reveal a mind attentive to ordinary detail and ethical consequence. Davison’s editing strives to preserve Orwell’s voice while situating it historically, deepening our understanding of how lived experience shaped his essays, novels, and enduring political conscience.

I've often said, "If a man is worth knowing at all, he's worth knowing well." In my opinion Eric Blair, whom the world knows as George Orwell, was such a man. For this reason I'm looking forward to taking deeper look at the interior life of this keen observer of the world he lived in.

In the meantime, here are links to nine essays (blog posts) that I've written about this influential author.

George Orwell's "How the Poor Die": Exploring Themes of Inequality, Neglect and Other Grim Realities

https://pioneerproductions.blogspot.com/2024/09/george-orwells-how-poor-die-exploring.html

George Orwell on Wells, Hitler and "Patriotism vs. the World State"

https://pioneerproductions.blogspot.com/2021/07/george-orwell-on-wells-hitler-and.html

Orwell on Media Mischief

https://pioneerproductions.blogspot.com/2021/11/orwell-on-media-mischief.html

Orwell's Homage to Catalonia Is Instructive on Many Levels, Plus a Good Read

https://pioneerproductions.blogspot.com/2021/08/orwells-homage-to-catalonia-is.html

George Orwell on Wells, Hitler and "Patriotism vs. the World State"

https://pioneerproductions.blogspot.com/2021/07/george-orwell-on-wells-hitler-and.html

Did you Know George Orwell Took a Stand Against Paperbacks?

https://pioneerproductions.blogspot.com/2019/11/flashback-friday-did-you-know-george.html

Public Introspection: George Orwell's Why I Write

https://pioneerproductions.blogspot.com/2016/08/public-introspection-george-orwells-why.html

Shooting an Elephant

https://pioneerproductions.blogspot.com/2011/05/shooting-elephant.html

Excerpts from Orwell's The Road to Wigan Pier

https://pioneerproductions.blogspot.com/2023/09/excerpts-from-orwells-road-to-wigan-pier.html

Other noteworthy journals and diaries I have read include Thomas Mann and Andre Gide