George Orwell: A Literary Life (Literary Lives) - Hardcover

This account of Orwell's life is chiefly concerned with what influenced Orwell, his relations with publishers and editors, and the analysis of certain key experiences - the deposition that during the Spanish Civil War he was guilty of espionage and high treason; his work at the BBC; his interest in pamphlet literature; and his time as a war correspondent. There is a detailed assessment of his earnings from 1922 to 1945 and a fresh look at his attitudes to class, women, and religious belief. Special attention is paid to his essays.

This account of Orwell's life focuses on what influenced Orwell, his relations with publishers and editors, and on certain key experiences in his life: the deposition that, while fighting in the Spanish Civil War, he was guilty of espionage and high treason; his work at the BBC, especially in developing 'cultural propaganda' and as the forerunner of the Open University; his interest in pamphlet literature; his time as a war correspondent; and his activities during the Cold War. A detailed analysis of his earnings between 1922 to 1945 reveals how very poor he was and challenges the widely-held, but unsustainable belief that he was paid a large sum to investigate conditions in Wigam.