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Orwell was a fine thinker and good writer. I skimmed only about 15 pages: some writerly stuff. Otherwise first rate. He was a Socialist at heart but had no time for most of the left.
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Essays
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A generous and varied selection–the only hardcover edition available–of the literary and political writings of one of the greatest essayists of the twentieth century. Although best known as the author of Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-four , George Orwell left an even more lastingly significant achievement in his voluminous essays, which dealt with all the great social, political, and literary questions of the day and exemplified an incisive prose style that is still universally admired. Included among the more than 240 essays in this volume are Orwell’s famous discussion of pacifism, “My Country Right or Left”; his scathingly complicated views on the dirty work of imperialism in “Shooting an Elephant”; and his very firm opinion on how to make “A Nice Cup of Tea.” In his essays, Orwell elevated political writing to the level of art, and his motivating ideas–his desire for social justice, his belief in universal freedom and equality, and his concern for truth in language–are as enduringly relevant now, a hundred years after his birth, as ever.
1369 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1,1968
This edition
- Format
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1369 pages, Hardcover
- Published
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October 15, 2002 by Everyman's Library Classics
- ISBN
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9780375415036
- ASIN
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0375415033
- Language
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English
About the author
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Eric Arthur Blair was an English novelist, poet, essayist, journalist and critic who wrote under the pen name of George Orwell. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to all totalitarianism (both authoritarian communism and fascism), and support of democratic socialism.
Orwell is best known for his allegorical novella Animal Farm (1945) and the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949), although his works also encompass literary criticism, poetry, fiction and polemical journalism. His non-fiction works, including The Road to Wigan Pier (1937), documenting his experience of working-class life in the industrial north of England, and Homage to Catalonia (1938), an account of his experiences soldiering for the Republican faction of the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939), are as critically respected as his essays on politics, literature, language and culture.
Orwell's work remains influential in popular culture and in political culture, and the adjective "Orwellian"—describing totalitarian and authoritarian social practices—is part of the English language, like many of his neologisms, such as "Big Brother", "Thought Police", "Room 101", "Newspeak", "memory hole", "doublethink", and "thoughtcrime". In 2008, The Times named Orwell the second-greatest British writer since 1945.
Orwell is best known for his allegorical novella Animal Farm (1945) and the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949), although his works also encompass literary criticism, poetry, fiction and polemical journalism. His non-fiction works, including The Road to Wigan Pier (1937), documenting his experience of working-class life in the industrial north of England, and Homage to Catalonia (1938), an account of his experiences soldiering for the Republican faction of the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939), are as critically respected as his essays on politics, literature, language and culture.
Orwell's work remains influential in popular culture and in political culture, and the adjective "Orwellian"—describing totalitarian and authoritarian social practices—is part of the English language, like many of his neologisms, such as "Big Brother", "Thought Police", "Room 101", "Newspeak", "memory hole", "doublethink", and "thoughtcrime". In 2008, The Times named Orwell the second-greatest British writer since 1945.
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Orwell, like Kafka, is one of those writers for which one can imagine a section of the brain devoted to receiving their ideas. This is not a book that must be read from cover to cover, but may be explored at random. The essays that I appreciate the most are "Politics and the English Language", "Why I Write" and "A Hanging". Orwell's observation of politics, both left and right, is still relevant to this day. In my opinion, these essays should be required reading.
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Orwell proves himself to be a smart man with keen insight on the world. Some of his observations seem downright prophetic in retrospect. However, he is not without his own biases and that shines through very clearly. And some of the things the collector of these messages chose to focus on were repetitive in nature. I think a more eclectic mix showing his strongest writing on just one topic a piece would be more fruitful over three different pieces of writing on British cuisine. Also would have been nice if the essays were clearly labelled with the year of publication.
Also a public service announcement, Oscar Wilde was Irish, not English.
Also a public service announcement, Oscar Wilde was Irish, not English.
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Essays (Everyman's Library Classics & Contemporary Classics) by George Orwell (2002)
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This is an enormous doorstop of a book, with over 1,300 pages of George Orwell’s essays. Of course that doesn’t cover everything he wrote, but it’s an awful lot. While best known for his novels Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four, Orwell was probably a better essayist than a novelist. This volume contains Orwell’s best and most famous essays, printed many places (including online), like “Such, Such Were the Joys,” “Shooting an Elephant,” and “Politics and the English Language." It also includes other thought-provoking but harder to find essays like “A Hanging,” and “Notes on Nationalism,” as well as the excellent and still very relevant preface to the first edition of Animal Farm, “The Freedom of the Press.”
As you would expect, there’s plenty here of Orwell’s favorite topics, totalitarianism, fascism, communism, and imperialism, but also much about the little details of everyday life, from how to make the perfect cup of tea to his concept of an ideal pub. This collection has all 80 of the “As I Please” columns that Orwell wrote for the Tribune, a column that can be political but just as often addresses grammar and word choice, attacks clichéd writing, and bemoans the lack of technological advancement in activities such as washing dishes. Orwell wrote many book reviews as well, most of which serve more as a format for him to express his opinions than as a discussion of the books themselves. Sometimes these are on surprising but intriguing topics, such as Orwell's criticism of Tolstoy's criticism of Shakespeare. There are also some funny little gems, like a rant of a letter Orwell wrote in response to a questionnaire he was sent about the Spanish Civil War that begins, “Will you please stop sending me this bloody rubbish” and escalates from there.
This book is organized chronologically, which makes sense, but unfortunately suffers from the lack of an index. Still, for those who want to go beyond the same 10-15 essays that are printed in most anthologies, this edition will provide as many Orwell essays as just about anyone could possibly want to read.
As you would expect, there’s plenty here of Orwell’s favorite topics, totalitarianism, fascism, communism, and imperialism, but also much about the little details of everyday life, from how to make the perfect cup of tea to his concept of an ideal pub. This collection has all 80 of the “As I Please” columns that Orwell wrote for the Tribune, a column that can be political but just as often addresses grammar and word choice, attacks clichéd writing, and bemoans the lack of technological advancement in activities such as washing dishes. Orwell wrote many book reviews as well, most of which serve more as a format for him to express his opinions than as a discussion of the books themselves. Sometimes these are on surprising but intriguing topics, such as Orwell's criticism of Tolstoy's criticism of Shakespeare. There are also some funny little gems, like a rant of a letter Orwell wrote in response to a questionnaire he was sent about the Spanish Civil War that begins, “Will you please stop sending me this bloody rubbish” and escalates from there.
This book is organized chronologically, which makes sense, but unfortunately suffers from the lack of an index. Still, for those who want to go beyond the same 10-15 essays that are printed in most anthologies, this edition will provide as many Orwell essays as just about anyone could possibly want to read.
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Im not going to even pretend I read all 1300 plus pages, I skipped around to some of the more releavant essays. I just want to get it off my currently readings list, because in reality I probably never could read all the essays.
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Essay on politics, culture, and literature. These are the ones I've read till now.
1. A Farthing Newspaper - 5 Stars
2. The Spike - 5 Stars
3. A Hanging -5 Stars
4. Clink - 4 Stars
5. Common Lodging Houses - 3 Stars
6. Shooting an Elephant - 5 Stars
7. Review of Tolstoy: His Life ad Work by Derrick Leon - 2 Stars
8. Are Books Too Dear? - 5 Stars
9. Review of The Brothers Karamazov and Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky; translated by Constance Garnett - 2 Stars
10. Reflections on Gandhi - 4 Stars
11. Lear, Tolstoy and the Fool - 2 Stars
12. Review of The Sword and the Sickle by Mulk Raj Anand - 3 Stars
13. The Meaning of a Poem -5 Stars
14. Interview with George Orwell and Jonathan Swift - 5 Stars
15. Politics vs Literature: An Examination of Gulliver's Travels -5 Stars
16. Spilling the Spanish Beans -5 Stars
17. Unpublished Response to Authors Take Sides on the Spanish War -5 Stars
18. Politics and the English Language -5 Stars
19. Why I Write - 4.5 Stars
20. Notes on Nationalism - 5 Stars
21. How the poor die - 5 Stars
22. Inside the Whale - 4 Stars
23. Personal Notes on Scientifiction - 4 Stars
24. Tobias Smollett: Scotland's Best Novelist - 4 Stars
25. Nonsense Poetry: The Lear Omnibus edited by R.L. Megroz - 4.5 Stars
26. In Defense of the Novel - 4 Stars
27. In Defence of P.G. Wodehouse -4 Stars
1. A Farthing Newspaper - 5 Stars
2. The Spike - 5 Stars
3. A Hanging -5 Stars
4. Clink - 4 Stars
5. Common Lodging Houses - 3 Stars
6. Shooting an Elephant - 5 Stars
7. Review of Tolstoy: His Life ad Work by Derrick Leon - 2 Stars
8. Are Books Too Dear? - 5 Stars
9. Review of The Brothers Karamazov and Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky; translated by Constance Garnett - 2 Stars
10. Reflections on Gandhi - 4 Stars
11. Lear, Tolstoy and the Fool - 2 Stars
12. Review of The Sword and the Sickle by Mulk Raj Anand - 3 Stars
13. The Meaning of a Poem -5 Stars
14. Interview with George Orwell and Jonathan Swift - 5 Stars
15. Politics vs Literature: An Examination of Gulliver's Travels -5 Stars
16. Spilling the Spanish Beans -5 Stars
17. Unpublished Response to Authors Take Sides on the Spanish War -5 Stars
18. Politics and the English Language -5 Stars
19. Why I Write - 4.5 Stars
20. Notes on Nationalism - 5 Stars
21. How the poor die - 5 Stars
22. Inside the Whale - 4 Stars
23. Personal Notes on Scientifiction - 4 Stars
24. Tobias Smollett: Scotland's Best Novelist - 4 Stars
25. Nonsense Poetry: The Lear Omnibus edited by R.L. Megroz - 4.5 Stars
26. In Defense of the Novel - 4 Stars
27. In Defence of P.G. Wodehouse -4 Stars
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A splendid doorstop (at 1369 pages), this Everyman edition of Orwell's essays has given me many hours of deep pleasure. The classics are worth revisiting: the disturbing "Shooting an Elephant" and "Marrakech;" the astringent "Politics and the English Language" (the moralist's version of Strunk and White's Elements of Style); the confused, almost plaintive "Why I Write." My favorite is Orwell's blistering mini-memoir "Such, Such Were the Joys," closely followed by "A Nice Cup of Tea," the authoritative guide to brewing.
"Tea is meant to be bitter, just as beer is meant to be bitter." There you have Orwell, in a sip out of a saucer.
"Tea is meant to be bitter, just as beer is meant to be bitter." There you have Orwell, in a sip out of a saucer.
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