George Orwell Matters! discussion

Have you read a biography of George Orwell? Please tell us about it here.

So this isn’t a biography of George Orwell himself but I am currently reading “Eileen - the making of George Orwell” by Sylvia Topp, which is a biography of his much underestimated first wife. I’m not quite finished and will write a review when I have but highly recommended.

Eileen: The Making of George Orwell by Sylvia Topp.

Thanks Chris! I think someone mentioned this elsewhere; it does sound interesting from the reviews. I await yours with anticipation.

I've also read Eileen: The Making of George Orwell and would recommend it too - I'll put a link to my review for anyone who is interested.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

It's an excellent review! I urge everyone to read it, if you're considering the book. Thanks Judy :)

Here is George Orwell's childhood home:



The Edwardian property "Rose Lawn" is in the village of Lower Shiplake in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. If you fancy living there, it has just gone on sale for £1.4 million!

Eric Arthur Blair lived in the detached house between the ages of nine and 12, and if you have read the essay Why I Write, you will know that this is where George Orwell first started to fall in love with writing.

It is said that while living here, George Orwell became friends with the poet Jacintha Buddicom, then aged 13. She apparently caught him standing on his head in a field near both their homes and he told her: "You are noticed more if you stand on your head than if you are the right way up."

Has anyone read Jacintha Buddicom's biography of him?