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Diaries
Diaries
Oct 3, 2024 11:31 AM

Author:George Orwell

Diaries

George Orwell was an inveterate keeper of diaries. Eleven diaries are presented here, and we know there may be two more from his time in Spain hidden away in the NKVD Archives in Moscow. Covering the period 1931-1949, this volume follows Orwell from his early years as a writer up to his last literary notebook.

His Hop-Picking Diary covers some of Orwell's time spent down and out; a wonderful entry from 1931 tells of a communal shave in the Trafalgar Square fountains. The notes from his travels through industrial England, which formed the basis of The Road to Wigan Pier, show the development of the gifted young novelist and impassioned social commentator. 'Frightful landscape of slag-heaps and belching chimneys.[...] Beards of ice on lock gates.' This same acute power of observation is evident in his diaries from Morocco, where he also encountered extreme poverty. We catch a glimpse of a different Orwell at home. His domestic diaries chart the progress of his garden and animals with a keen eye, from the succinct, 'Pig active again.' to the more poetic, 'One of the plants that carries the snow most beautifully is lavender.'

The wartime diaries make fascinating reading, from descriptions of events overseas, to the daily violence closer to home and his astute perspective on the politics of both. Orwell offers a different take on the typical view of the home front. 'War is simply a reversal of civilised life, its motto is "Evil be thou my good", and so much of the good of modern life is actually evil that it is questionable whether on balance war does harm.'

The diaries provide a new and entirely refreshing insight into Orwell's character and help towards an understanding of his great works.

Reviews

All the diaries of Orwell that are still extant were first published in 1998 by Peter Davison and included in his monumental edition of The Complete Works of George Orwell. They are now conveniently regrouped here in one volume, excellently presented and annotated by Davision

—— Simon Leys , New York Review

Gripping, fast moving and completely authentic. A brilliant piece of work. Better than Bravo Two Zero

—— Mike Rose, former Commanding Officer of the SAS

A gripping untold story of heroism, hardship and sacrifice within the SAS

—— Bear Grylls

Brings alive the hardships, fear and bravery of the elite soldier . . . A great tale, loaded with comradeship

—— Sun

Devastating. Rees's research is impeccable and intrepid. Ultimately he does at the gut level what Hannah Arendt achieved some 40 years ago at the level of philosophy: he forces the reader to shift the Holocaust out of the realm of nightmare or Gothic horror and acknowledge it as something all too human. Scrupulous and honest, this book is utterly without illusions

—— David Von Drehle , Washington Post, USA

This magnificent book is exciting and disturbing at the same time

—— Rafael Nuez Florencio , El Mundo, Spain

Scrupulous and honest, this book is utterly without illusions. Rees, a distinguished journalist and historian at the BBC, layers these details with little fanfare but great craftsmanship. Reading this book is an ordeal - not through any failure of the author's but because of his success. Rees's research is impeccable and intrepid. Rees also makes good use of the records that became available only after the collapse of the Soviet Union and its satellites. spare, heartbreaking prose.

—— Washington Post

I believe that Rees's book will be included in the canon of fundamental works shaping our knowledge about the Holocaust.

—— Wladyslaw Bartoszewski, former Polish Foreign Minister and one-time inmate of Auschwitz

He has the unerring gift of uncovering those astonishing truths that make even the best novelists of espionage seem both earthbound and artificial in comparison

—— Daily Telegraph

His best book yet

—— The Times

He...spins gloriously through one of the most extraordinary private lives of the 20th century

—— Daily Mail, Book of the Week

In Agent Sonya, Macintyre has pulled off his most remarkable trick: he leaves us admiring, and even cheering for, the woman at the heart of his story, someone who not only wanted to destroy our democracy but helped Russia get a nuclear bomb. She is the strongest character of all in Macintyre's bestselling series of wartime tales... I raced through the pages to keep up with the plot

—— Evening Standard

An incredible insight into a hundred years of British social history - and the story of a remarkable man

—— Candis

Captain Tom has a message of hope for us all

—— The Big Issue

His autobiography will continue to inspire. A hundred-year history of Britain and a life well lived

—— My Weekly

His optimism and courage shine through in this uplifting account of his life and times

—— Sunday Express

A national hero . . . He tells the story of his life with unfailing optimism and charm

—— Daily Mirror

In this delightful memoir, we see the build-up to that 'I said I'll do it and I will' attitude

—— Daily Mail

Uplifting and inspiring

—— Best

There is so much more to the humble centenarian exserviceman's life than his garden laps for the NHS. A life-affirming memoir

—— Sun

A very open and honest account of a centenarian's life . . . You cannot help but be amazed

—— Who Do You Think You Are?

Embark on an enchanting journey into our country's past hundred years through the remarkable life of Captain Sir Tom Moore

—— Eastern Daily Press

This minute-by-minute retelling tackles the big questions, but also - by drawing on the letters and diaries from the Dresden City Archive - never loosed sight of the experiences of people who witnessed, and suffered, the attach first-hand

—— BBC History Revealed, Book of the Month

It's a wonderful book, so absorbing, thoughtful and thought provoking, I didn't want it to end

—— Maureen Waller, author of London 1945: Life in the Debris of War

The story of the Allied bombing of Dresden in 1945 is well known, but McKay's searing account is in a league of its own. His research is first-class, his writing elegant and emotive. He is brilliant at portraying the city's prewar beauty, grimly powerful on the horror of the firestorm, and moving and thoughtful about Dresden's rise from the ashes. By the end, I was itching to jump on a flight to Germany. That tells you about the skill and spirit of this terrific book

—— Dominic Sandbrook , The Times/Sunday Times Books of the Year
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