Doubleplusgood: George Orwell
Written: Dec 02 '99
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Product Rating:
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Pros: The preeminent sage, satirist, and journalist of our century.
Cons: Alas, he was taken from us too early.
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| kevincmurphy's Full Review: Orwell, George |
"Underneath the spreading chestnut tree, I sold you and you sold me."
If for some strange, hypothetical reason I was forced to choose one favorite writer or else suffer some violent, permanently disfiguring consequence, my choice would have to be George Orwell. His fiction (1984) is profound, his satire (Animal Farm) is keen, and his reporting (Homage to Catalonia, Down and Out in Paris and London) puts today's sages of journalism to shame.
Although 1984 remains one of my absolute favorite books (it's worth a read a year, just to see how we're doing), Orwell's deserves most credit for his essays. Never content to merely write about something, Orwell would immerse himself in his subjects, be it Burmese colonialism, poverty-stricken Parisians, English socialists, or the Spanish Civil War. In each case, Orwell forewent the life of Eric Blair to experience firsthand the passions and problems of his protagonists. Yet, in his compositions, he states his biases outright and takes pains never to declare himself absolutely objective. Orwell's journalistic devotion and sensibility are simply amazing. He spent his life delineating the differences between idea and fact, and his greatest novel attests to his understanding of the perils of this divide. Like no other, Orwell explored the human realities so often obscured by rhetoric or ideology.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
kevincmurphy
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Member: Kevin Murphy
Location: New York,NY
Reviews written: 45
Trusted by: 39 members
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