Description
This essay discusses the politics of literary reputation, specifically how George Orwell's legacy has been contested by various groups. John Rodden provides an overview of Orwell's life and work, highlighting the importance of his writing to the 20th century political landscape. Rodden then discusses the various controversies surrounding Orwell's legacy, including claims that he was a Stalinist, that he was a racist, and that he was a plagiarist. Rodden provides a comprehensive analysis of Orwell's writing and its impact on the political landscape.
The current stature of George Orwell, commonly recognized as the foremost political journalist and essayist of the 20th century, provides a notable instance of a writer whose legacy has been claimed from a host of contending political interests. The clarity and force of his style, the rectitude of his political judgement and his personal integrity have made him, as he famously noted of Dickens, a writer well worth stealing. Thus, the intellectual battles over Orwell's posthumous career point up ambiguities in Orwell's own work as they do in the motives of his would-be heirs. This study examines how Orwell's legacy as a writer developed and the importance of his work both during and after his lifetime. John Rodden seeks to bring Orwell's work into proper focus while providing insight into the phenomenon of literary fame.
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