Orwell: The New Life by D. J. Taylor

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Never Meet Your Heroes

A deeply researched and engagingly written portrait of arguably the twentieth century’s most iconic literary figure. Yet by the end, one is left with a troubling impression: George Orwell, the great defender of truth and decency, wasn’t a particularly decent man himself. D. J. Taylor does not avoid this reality, but for this reader the conclusion was unavoidable: Orwell is a hero I’m glad I didn’t meet.