Tag Archives: George Orwell

2+2=5

Posted on May 11, 2014 by sheila

I know I’m reading a lot of totalitarian literature when I see the following gigantic billboard of Ray Liotta on the corner of 42nd and 8th and immediately think: I love Big Brother.

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Today in history: November 7, 1917

Posted on November 7, 2013 by sheila

Yesterday’s post was a bit prescient, considering that today is the anniversary of one of the most seismic events of the 20th century: The Russian Revolution (or, at least, that first successful power-grab.) Look at that rogue’s gallery. I love … Continue reading →

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The Books: A Collection of Essays, ‘Inside the Whale’, by George Orwell

Posted on February 20, 2013 by sheila

On the essays shelf: A Collection of Essays, by George Orwell “Inside the Whale” is a gigantic essay which is a review of Henry Miller’s Tropic of Cancer (the book is its focal point), but also spans out to discuss … Continue reading →

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The Books: A Collection of Essays, ‘Looking Back on the Spanish War’, by George Orwell

Posted on February 19, 2013 by sheila

On the essays shelf: A Collection of Essays, by George Orwell George Orwell’s Homage to Catalonia details his personal observations of the Spanish Civil War in the mid to late 1930s. He had gone there to fight for the Republicans … Continue reading →

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The Books: A Collection of Essays, ‘Reflections on Gandhi’, by George Orwell

Posted on February 14, 2013 by sheila

On the essays shelf: A Collection of Essays, by George Orwell I love the first words of Orwell’s 1949 review of Gandhi’s partial autobiography, published in the 1920s: Saints should always be judged guilty until they are proved innocent… Christopher … Continue reading →

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The Books: A Collection of Essays, ‘Politics and the English Language’, by George Orwell

Posted on February 13, 2013 by sheila

On the essays shelf: A Collection of Essays, by George Orwell One of the most essential pieces of writing about writing in existence. I would give this to any young writer, or writer hopeful, to say, “Read this and learn.” … Continue reading →

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The Books: A Collection of Essays, ‘Shooting an Elephant’, by George Orwell

Posted on February 10, 2013 by sheila

On the essays shelf: A Collection of Essays, by George Orwell ‘Shooting an Elephant’, from 1936, is one of George Orwell’s most famous essays. It remains one of the best descriptions of how Empire operates, at its ugliest, and Orwell … Continue reading →

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The Books: A Collection of Essays, ‘Rudyard Kipling’, by George Orwell

Posted on February 8, 2013 by sheila

On the essays shelf: A Collection of Essays, by George Orwell “I woshipped Kipling at 13, loathed him at 17, enjoyed him at 20, despised him at 25, and now again rather admire him.” – George Orwell, 1936 I think … Continue reading →

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The Books: A Collection of Essays, ‘Charles Dickens’, by George Orwell

Posted on February 5, 2013 by sheila

On the essays shelf: A Collection of Essays, by George Orwell Orwell’s essay on Dickens is a monster. It could be a small book. Dickens is one of my favorite authors, and Orwell’s essay is essential reading, one of the … Continue reading →

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The Books: A Collection of Essays, ‘Such, Such Were the Joys …’, by George Orwell

Posted on February 4, 2013 by sheila

On the essays shelf: A Collection of Essays, by George Orwell While I admire and love both 1984 and Animal Farm (and have done so, really, since I was first introduced them, in junior high and high school), it was … Continue reading →

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