George Orwell: A Reader's Guide: Or, 'Who Is Big Brother?' and Other Puzzles [Paperback]

A spirited and essential companion to Orwell and his works, covering all the novels and major essays
 
An intellectual who hated intellectuals, a socialist who didn’t trust the state—our foremost political essayist and author ofAnimal FarmandNineteen Eighty-Fourwas a man of stark, puzzling contradictions. Knowing Orwell’s life and reading Orwell’s works produces just as many questions as it answers.
 
Celebrated Orwell biographer D. J. Taylor guides fans and new readers alike through the many twists and turns of Orwell’s books, life and thought. As a writer he intended his works to be transparent and instantly accessible, yet they are also full of secrets and surprises, tantalising private histories, and psychological quirks. From his conflicted relationship with religion to his competing anti-imperialism and fascination with empire, this book delves into the complex development of this essential yet enigmatic voice.
 
Taylor leads us through Orwell’s principal writings and complex life—crafting an illuminating guide to one of the most enduringly relevant writers in the English language.“Undeniably the best biography of George Orwell now written.”—Law and Liberty

“From the foothills of early Orwell, when he was searching for a style and a politics, to the stunning vistas of his later years, Taylor shows the way. No one knows the trails better.”—Robert Colls, author ofGeorge Orwell: English Rebel

“Full of new intriguing insights, as one has come to expect from any melding of the inquisitive minds of Taylor and Orwell.”—Sylvia Topp, author ofEileen: The Making of George Orwell

“D. J. Taylor knows Orwell back to front and inside out, and he wears his immense knowledge lightly. Insightful, provocative and entertaining.”—Dorian Lynskey, authl³k