News & Events

Newsletter: Cigarettes and Alcohol

11 February 2011

Two famous Orwell essays celebrated their 65th anniversaries this week. ‘Books vs. Cigarettes’ was first published in Tribune on 8 February 1946. In the essay, Orwell examines the widespread  ‘idea that the buying, or even the reading, of books is… find out more

Newsletter: ‘Did not want to spend night in streets’

04 February 2011

We’re now a few days into our project of blogging Orwell’s Wigan Pier diaries from 1936, 75 years to the day after each was written. Orwell is currently in Manchester, and will be heading for Wigan itself shortly. Granta Magazine carried a couple of … find out more

Orwell Prize to blog George Orwell’s Wigan Pier diaries

31 January 2011

Diary entries to be posted 75 years after they were written Orwell Prize 2011 receives record number of entries The Orwell Prize, Britain’s most prestigious prize for political writing, is to blog George Orwell’s diary from his journey to Wigan Pi… find out more

Newsletter: Blogging Orwell’s Wigan Pier diary

31 January 2011

We’re delighted to announce that from today, Monday 31st January, we’ll be ‘post-blogging’ Orwell’s 1936 Wigan Pier diaries. Between 31st January and 25th March 1936, Orwell travelled around the Midlands and the north of England, keeping a diar… find out more

Newsletter: Orwell on Kipling

21 January 2011

Rudyard Kipling died 75 years ago this week (on 18th January 1936). Orwell wrote an essay on Kipling (for Horizon in 1942), which you can now read on our website. Both writers were born in India, and wrote about the British Empire – although from rathe… find out more

Newsletter: Entries close 19th January

14 January 2011

Happy New Year – and with the start of the new year comes the end of the submission period for the Orwell Prize 2011. If you would like to enter this year’s Book Prize, Journalism Prize or Blog Prize, submissions close on Wednesday 19th January … find out more

Newsletter: Merry Christmas!

17 December 2010

We’d like to wish you a very merry Christmas, and best wishes for a prosperous 2011. Many thanks for supporting us this year! But before this newsletter takes a break over the festive season, we have a few Christmas gifts for you from the pen of George… find out more

Newsletter: Orwell’s Christmas Pudding

10 December 2010

With Christmas only a couple of weeks away, your thoughts may be turning to preparations for the big day. And if you’re still in need of a Christmas pudding, Orwell may be able to help. In 1946, Orwell was commissioned to write a piece on British Cooke… find out more

Taiwan Orwell conference calls for papers

08 December 2010

A call for papers from 'George Orwell: Asian and Global Perspectives', a conference to be held at Tunghai University, Taiwan on 21st May 2011. If you'd like any furhter information, please contact Dr Henk Vynckier, chair of the conference. George Orwell: … find out more

Newsletter: Orwell and the Oligarchs – watch the Orwell Lecture

03 December 2010

We’ve now uploaded the full video of this year’s Orwell Lecture, ‘Orwell and the Oligarchs’, given by Ferdinand Mount. Ferdy – a former Orwell Prize judge (2009), former head of the Downing Street Policy Unit, former editor of the Times Literar… find out more