What do you think?
Rate this book
I Have Tried to Tell the Truth: 1943-1944
Orwell reviewed 86 books as Literary Editor of Tribune in addition to his "As I Please" column, printed without cuts in this edition. Also included are literary essays, The English People, four London Letters, and Can Socialists Be Happy?, written under the pseudonym John Freeman.
576 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
About the author
George Orwell
1,418 books53.8k followersEric Arthur Blair was an English novelist, poet, essayist, journalist and critic who wrote under the pen name of George Orwell. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to all totalitarianism (both fascism and stalinism), and support of democratic socialism.
Orwell is best known for his allegorical novella Animal Farm (1945) and the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949), although his works also encompass literary criticism, poetry, fiction and polemical journalism. His non-fiction works, including The Road to Wigan Pier (1937), documenting his experience of working-class life in the industrial north of England, and Homage to Catalonia (1938), an account of his experiences soldiering for the Republican faction of the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939), are as critically respected as his essays on politics, literature, language and culture.
Orwell's work remains influential in popular culture and in political culture, and the adjective "Orwellian"—describing totalitarian and authoritarian social practices—is part of the English language, like many of his neologisms, such as "Big Brother", "Thought Police", "Room 101", "Newspeak", "memory hole", "doublethink", and "thoughtcrime". In 2008, The Times named Orwell the second-greatest British writer since 1945.
Orwell is best known for his allegorical novella Animal Farm (1945) and the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949), although his works also encompass literary criticism, poetry, fiction and polemical journalism. His non-fiction works, including The Road to Wigan Pier (1937), documenting his experience of working-class life in the industrial north of England, and Homage to Catalonia (1938), an account of his experiences soldiering for the Republican faction of the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939), are as critically respected as his essays on politics, literature, language and culture.
Orwell's work remains influential in popular culture and in political culture, and the adjective "Orwellian"—describing totalitarian and authoritarian social practices—is part of the English language, like many of his neologisms, such as "Big Brother", "Thought Police", "Room 101", "Newspeak", "memory hole", "doublethink", and "thoughtcrime". In 2008, The Times named Orwell the second-greatest British writer since 1945.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
June 20, 2014
This was not easy to read. Not because of the language - Orwell is one of the greatest masters of English - but because you have to stop and think about what you've just read, and to give it time to settle in your head.
It contains a few essays, his "As I please" column, a lot of book reviews and some letters. In all you can see his style and his pursuit of the truth, and although I didn't agree with him on everything (and it would've been extremely interesting if he was still alive to hear his thoughts of the current brand of socialism), I still think he should be read and though on.
---
On second reading, one of the things that keeps you going is the language he uses. He was probably one of the most readable writers in English.
It contains a few essays, his "As I please" column, a lot of book reviews and some letters. In all you can see his style and his pursuit of the truth, and although I didn't agree with him on everything (and it would've been extremely interesting if he was still alive to hear his thoughts of the current brand of socialism), I still think he should be read and though on.
---
On second reading, one of the things that keeps you going is the language he uses. He was probably one of the most readable writers in English.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review