George Orwell's Diaries: Book summary and reviews of George Orwell's Diaries by edited by Peter Davison & Christopher Hitchens

George Orwell's Diaries Summary

This groundbreaking volume, never before published in the United States, at last introduces the interior life of George Orwell, the writer who defined twentieth-century political thought.

Written as individual books throughout his career, the eleven surviving diaries collected here record Orwell's youthful travels among miners and itinerant laborers, the fearsome rise of totalitarianism, the horrific drama of World War II, and the feverish composition of his great masterpieces Animal Farm and 1984 (which have now sold more copies than any two books by any other twentieth-century author).

Personal entries cover the tragic death of his first wife and Orwell's own decline as he battled tuberculosis. Exhibiting great brilliance of prose and composition, these treasured dispatches, edited by the world's leading Orwell scholar, exhibit "the seeds of famous passages to come" (New Statesman) and amount to a volume as penetrating as the autobiography he would never write. 30 illustrations

George Orwell's Diaries Reviews

"Despite the longueurs, it is a pleasure to be around Orwell's mind and his perfectly clear prose style." - Publishers Weekly

"The diaries will appeal to all - literary scholars, historians, and students of 20th-century literature - seeking the inner life of this profoundly influential writer. Strongly recommended." - Library Journal

"Starred Review. Editor Davison... supplies necessary contextual information and footnotes generously, but stays in the shadows and allows us to truly enjoy Orwell's impressive chronicles." - Kirkus Reviews

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George Orwell (Eric Arthur Blair) (1903–1950) wrote fiction, journalism, criticism, and poetry. His nine books include the classics Animal Farm and 1984.

Peter Davison edited the twenty volumes of Orwell's Complete Works (with Ian Angus and Sheila Davison).

Christopher Hitchens was the author of God Is Not Great, Hitch-22, and Why Orwell Matters. He died in December 2011.