{"product_id":"george-orwell-9780199680801","title":"George Orwell","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA journey through the life and thought of George Orwell, from public school satirist and imperial policeman to Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty Four.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003ean honest and at times brilliant essay in biography and intellectual history-writing...the book really does offer a nuanced and fresh view * The Journal of Bertrand Russell Studies *\u003cbr\u003eRobert Colls's fine study of Orwell... is sympathetic yet sceptical in tone, crammed with persuasive insights, bracing in its judgments and written in a pleasingly informal and occasionally idiosyncratic style * Dublin Review of Books, Enda O'Doherty *\u003cbr\u003eScholarly and intriguing, it is a lovely semi-biography and a fascinating treatment of an English writer. * Les Gofton, Book of the Year 2014, Times Higher Education *\u003cbr\u003eIn [Colls'] book, the reader catches echoes of the kind of spirited English conversation in which Orwell fervently believed. * Christopher Hilliard, History Today *\u003cbr\u003eNo book about Orwell can be perfect; the man was too contradictory and too bloody minded to be an easy study. But Colls really gets it ... puts his finger on it... * Spiked *\u003cbr\u003eAn eloquent reminder that George Orwell loved his country rebelliously ... both timely and necessary. * Calum Mechie, TLS *\u003cbr\u003eFull of learning and insight ... Colls is a lovely writer, who is fearless in a way that academics too often are not. He is happy to subvert clichés, make little speeches and is willing to permit useful generalisations ... There are several ways in which - quite apart from the success or otherwise of Colls' thesis - this book is a kind of Orwellian triumph. * David Aaronovitch, New Statesman *\u003cbr\u003eThis is an excellent, provocative addition to Orwell ... an exceptionally interesting book ... Colls is now entitled to consider himself a prime ornament ... of Orwell studies. * D J Taylor, The Guardian *\u003cbr\u003eColls is an honest and intelligent writer, interrogating a mind that he very much admires, about issues that he deeply cares about. * Roger Scruton, The Times *\u003cbr\u003eIlluminating insights ... [a] thought-provoking study. * Yvonne Sherratt, Times Higher Education Supplement *\u003cbr\u003eThis is the most sensible and systematic interpretation of George Orwell's books that I have ever read ... This biography's achievement is to give us back Orwell the writer - neither a saint, nor an infallible sage, but a perverse, intelligent commentator on his time, and also, on occasion, a superb critic. * A. N. Wilson, The Spectator *\u003cbr\u003ea stunning piece of work, well researched, tautly written and often funny ... It is the best book on Orwell to appear for several years, erudite and original. It catches the extent to which Orwell lived on his wits better than any other account of his life. It's up there with Crick, Gordon Bowker and DJ Taylor. * Paul Anderson, Tribune *\u003cbr\u003eA compact intellectual biography with much political and social content ... There are useful critiques of Orwell's early \"angry\" novels, his gradual appreciation of the working class, and the political contradictions that he never fully resolved ... General readers will benefit from Colls's deft analysis of Orwell's writings and his attempt to pin down the author's politics. * Library Journal *\u003cbr\u003e[A] lucid work of intellectual biography Colls's engaging style and frequent bursts of astringent wit make for lively reading suitable for any Orwell enthusiast. * Publishers Weekly *\u003cbr\u003eSubtle, probing and refreshingly original study the closest and most intimate portrait of Orwell to date * John Gray, Literary Review *\u003cbr\u003eShort, witty and intelligent performing a valuable service by situating Orwell in the context of interwar history. * Robin McGhee, Prospect *\u003cbr\u003eThere have been many books written about George Orwell but this is surely among the best. Rob Colls has taken on the man's Englishness, his personality, warts and all, and the elusive notion that he was a rebel in his own land. It's full of zesty prose, fine insights and a freshness of interpretation which made it a pleasure to read. It's a major achievement and a major work on George Orwell. * Melvyn Bragg *\u003cbr\u003ea lovely semi-biography and a fascinating treatment of an English writer. * Les Gofton, Times Higher Education *\u003cbr\u003eColls's book is innovative and rewarding, despite covering a well-trodden field. * Gal Gerson, The European Legacy *\u003cbr\u003eColls identifies and analyses a strand of Orwell's authorship the importance of which has been consistently underestimated: Orwell's highly problematic relations with his English inheritance By showing how this concern changed its shape over time Colls has changed our view of Orwell's life and work, and offered a fresh perspective on a pivotal period in English intellectual and political history. * John Gray, author of Straw Dogs: Thoughts on Humans and Other Animals *\u003cbr\u003eThis book should interest both informed general readers and serious students of Orwell's work, for it represents a judicious and all-too-rare example of being an absorbing intellectual biography undergirded by scrupulous literary scholarship. * John Rodden, editor of The Cambridge Companion to George Orwell *\u003cbr\u003eColls has written a highly entertaining book in the good plain jargon-free prose style so valued by its subject it has much for the general reader and student, and will ruffle a few ideological feathers which, as Orwell well knew, is always a good thing. * Spokesman *\u003cbr\u003eThought-provoking and illuminating. * London Magazine *\u003cbr\u003eRefreshingly vibrant and all round excellent book ... George Orwell: English Rebel is as much a stimulating read as it is inspiring. Although more importantly, it's acutely informative. * David Marx Book Reviews *\u003cbr\u003eSuperb. * Spiked *\u003cbr\u003eIn his book the reader catches echoes of the kind of spirited English conversation in which Orwell fervently believed. * Christopher Hilliard, History Today *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePreface and Acknowledgements ; Introduction ; 1. Angry Old Etonian ; 2. North Road ; 3. Eye Witness in Barcelona, 1937 ; 4. Mr Bowling Sees it Through ; 5. England the Whale ; 6. Not Quite Tory ; 7. Last of England ; 8. Death in the Family ; Life After Death: A Bibliographical Essay ; Notes ; Index","brand":"Oxford University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48732882469207,"sku":"9780199680801","price":13.49,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780199680801.jpg?v=1719998802","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/george-orwell-9780199680801","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}