George Orwell: A Life in Letters (Penguin Modern Classics) by George Orwell (EPUB)

Description

Personal as well as political, Orwell’s letters offer a fascinating window into the mind of a phenomenal man. We are privy to snatched glimpses of his family life: his son Richard’s developing teeth, the death of his wife Eileen, and his own illness. Candid portraits of Barcelona during the Spanish Civil War, his opinions on bayonets, and on the chaining of German prisoners display his magnificent talent as a political writer, and letters to friends and his publisher provide a unique insight into the development and publication of some of the most important novels in the English language. A Life in Letters features previously unpublished material, including letters which shed new light on a love that would haunt him for his whole life, as well as revealing the inspiration for some of his most famous characters. Presented for the first time in a dedicated volume, this selection of Orwell’s letters is an indispensible companion to his diaries.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐For those without the ready access (or commitment) to read the multi-volume Collected Works, this is an excellent selection of letters. Most are by Orwell, but some by correspondents, as well as his first wife, Eileen Blair, are included. The editor, Peter Davison, does a fine job of annotation, providing a helpful connective thread of context, references and biographical notes without heavy-handed interpretation. I would stop short of reviewers who call this the “autobiography that Orwell never wrote,” but it does provide much insight into the development of Orwell’s thinking and writing, and further humanizes the man. These exchanges, often with publishers and other writers, incidentally illustrate the obstacles to publication — economic, political and (especially during the war years) even lack of paper for printing.I particularly appreciated the letters of Eileen Blair that were included. These not only serve to contextualize Orwell’s own letters, but also show Eileen to be much more than a help-mate to Orwell: She was a smart, brave and strong person in her own right, and possessed an easy sense of humor that contrasts strikingly with Orwell’s clever but sometimes defensive and often bone-dry wit.One further note: This letter collection makes a nice companion volume to “George Orwell Diaries,” also edited by Peter Davidson (with a brief but nice introduction by Christopher Hitchens) and published about a year earlier. The Letters are more informative of the evolution of Orwell’s thinking than the more mundane Diaries, but read in rough conjunction, they shed helpful light on his life and flesh out the man and writer.

⭐Somehow this passed me by until recently. I’m sorry that Sonia Orwell and Ian Angus didn’t include more representative letters in their four-volume compilations. The letters are as good, sometimes better, than the reviews and articles, and do not suffer from from their author’s being emotionally guarded. Little details like the publishers’ decisions to use numerals or words for the title “Nineteen Eighty-Four” are things I find fascinating.

⭐A nice selection of the letters of one of the great literary figures of the last century. Peter Davison, the editor of this volume, is a leading authority on George Orwell and has done a superb job of supplying clear explanatory footnotes to the text.The book is enhanced with the provision of a good chronology of Orwell’s life and a short list of further suggested reading.Anyone with a special interest in the person who was once Eric A. Blair needs to read this book.

⭐Absolutely marvelous book. I couldn’t put it down and ordered a copy for each of my sons for Christmas. A brilliant man and the letters that he wrote adress every important issue of the times. They are all relevant today.

⭐Orwell is the best 20th C writer in my opinion and to have this edition of his letters is invaluable for Orwell fans. It’s Orwell the private man.

⭐How this accomplished journalist evolves into an insightful critic of socialism and its inevitable totalitarian degradation is revealed in this marvelous compilation of letters. A vital footnote to the failure of soviet-style 20th Century human behavior.

⭐A fine compilation of Orwell’s letters from childhood to just prior to his death. Actually, may not be actually “better” than Vonnegut, but different. Both are welcome books of letters by two of my favorite writers (among Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Joyce, Roth, Thompson, Heller, Tom Wolfe…).

⭐This book, which ideally should be read along with its companion, the George Orwell `Diaries’, allows us insight into the life of one of the most important writers of the 20th century.Alongside letters to and from friends there are also, more interestingly, letters Orwell wrote to and received from his agent and publishers. In amongst the book’s near 500 pages of letters, as well as occasionally making comment on other authors’ works, Orwell also reveals what he thinks of his own efforts; which of his books he considered worthwhile and which he thought `rubbish’.We also learn more about Orwell’s domestic situation, about his life with his first wife Eileen – a relationship that so sadly came to a premature end – and can piece together a more complete picture of the man than if we had to rely on the diaries alone.Speaking purely personally, I found the odd surprise in here too.For all admirers of Orwell’s works, this book is definitely worth reading.

⭐As described. Delivered promptly

⭐Brilliant but one would expect no more

⭐I really love george orwell and this book is amazing, I can really understand orwell’s life. here there are letters which orwell wrote and received during his life and it is interesting.

⭐C’est dommage qui s’est en anglais je ne comprends rien du tout

⭐

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