3 Review(s)

With such varied correspondents as T. S. Eliot, Stephen Spender and Anthony Powell, for nearly forty years George Orwell wrote and received the letters that are now collected together in this unique edition. They reveal the political writer that Orwell became, as he describes Barcelona during the Spanish Civil War, as well as explaining the inspiration for some of his most famous characters. From casual mention of ghosts in Walberswick cemetery to gardening tips, and from discussions of pseudonyms and the publication of his major works to the death of his wife, these letters provide a fascinating glimpse into Orwell's life, and his relationships. This volume, together with the Diaries, stands in place of the autobiography Orwell never wrote.