Orwell: The Lost Writings [Hardcover]

George Orwell (Author), W. J. West (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The scripts and other writings pub lished here were written by Orwell when he worked full time for the BBC from 1940 to 1943 (actually, they were known to be on file in the BBC Ar chives but were apparently not regard ed as important enough to be pub lished). This collection, in need of more generous and scholarly footnoting but with a helpful introduction by the edi tor, includes previously unprinted ad aptations Orwell made of some of his favorite stories of Silone, H.G.Wells, and Anatole France, as well as 250 let ters he wrote to writers and contribu tors to the BBC. A poetry radio maga zine called Voice and a story with chapters written by separate authors commissioned by Orwell are also re printed here. Yet to be published are scripts Orwell wrote for the BBC while not a full-time employee (and whose copyrights are owned by publishers other than the BBC). A welcome addi tion to Orwelliana. Rosaly DeMaios Roffman, English Dept., Indiana Univ. of Pennsylvania
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Arbor House Pub Co; First Edition edition (September 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0877957452
• ISBN-13: 978-0877957454
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,289,252 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

GEORGE ORWELL (1903-1950) was born in India and served with the Imperial Police in Burma before joining the Republican Army in the Spanish Civil War. Orwell was the author of six novels as well as numerous essays and nonfiction works.

Customer Reviews

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Orwell from the archives, August 3, 2009

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logosapiens - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Orwell: The Lost Writings (Hardcover)

A collection of archived BBC material dating from the period when Orwell headed the BBC India Service consisting of internal memos, letters and radio plays.

Some of the memos hint of Ministry of Information (MOI) censorship of Orwell's views on the British Empire,and especially India. Did the MOI and the BBC experiences became the Ministry of Truth and censorship in "1984?" Orwell ultimately saw the India Service as a waste of time.

One radio play was interesting because it was written and read by multiple authors, starting with Orwell, in serial form with each author continuing where the last left off. Another play features a biology student, the son of a workingman, being kicked out of university for honestly admitting fault on a small matter...classic socialist early Orwell.

During Orwell's period with the BBC, C.S. Lewis was reading his "Mere Christianity" on the radio (it was later made into the book). They were both famous and working for the BBC at the same time. Orwell made contemptuous remarks about Lewis' writing in one memo and another essay "silly religous books." Lewis, on the other hand, complimented "Animal Farm". I often wonder what the relationship between them was at the BBC.

It is good that these writings have been published to perserve BBC history, but most...not all...are only of value to historians and make for tedious reading. The historical value of the collection gives the book five stars.