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George Orwell (Hardcover)

by Gordon Bowker (Author) "As a young man Eric Blair was fascinated by ghost stories and intrigued by black magic ..." (more)
4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 495 pages
  • Publisher: Little, Brown (1 May 2003)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0316861154
  • ISBN-13: 978-0316861151
  • Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 16.2 x 4.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 211,255 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Andrew Anthony, Observer
'[A] new, vivid biography'

Hilary Spurling, Daily Telegraph
'Bowker [is] humane in deciphering the emotional undertext of Orwell's life'

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As a young man Eric Blair was fascinated by ghost stories and intrigued by black magic. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews

4 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Biography, 19 Aug 2003
For anyone wanting to read a straightforward biography of Orwell, well-written and searching, with a strong narrative drive, this is an excellent book for you. Not only is it extremely well-researched, but it explores Orwell's mind from his childhood through to his death. It explains a lot of things that were mysterious about him and includes a lot of new facts and observations relating to the shadowy side of his life and to his writing.

I like especially the way Bowker writes about the novels and the poetry, but he gives equal weight to the essays, and situates them well in their political perspective. He is very good on his superstitious streak, his sadistic tendencies and the paranoia which resulted from his being hunted and spied on during the Spanish Civil War. His explanation of why Orwell made up his list of suspected Communists and his wish to have no biography written I found very persuasive.

This is the book to read if you've heard of Orwell and would like to know more. It's also a first rate introduction to his work. And for those familiar with Orwell and his work there is a lot here that is new revealing.

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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A search for Truth, 26 Sep 2004
By A Customer
This is an excellent biography. It is well-researched, fluently written and contains some penetrating analysis of Orwell and his work. It is honest and dispassionate without being bloodless; tells the truth, warts and all, about a complex and in many ways secretive personality, without obscuring his many virtues; makes astute and penetrating comments on Orwell's works which are woven neatly into the structure of the narrative. A first class work which is as gripping to read as a thriller. The author has been let down by his copy editor, however. There were some real howlers, particularly in the opening chapters. This fine writer deserves better than that.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A spledid book, 8 Dec 2007
By Ronald Fraser (South Ayrshire) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: George Orwell (Paperback)
This is an excellent read by Gordon Bowker. He has carried out a terrific amount of research and has captured the many facets that make up George Orwell. He has done this with care and it whets the appetite of the reader for more of Orwell's work.

The book demonstrates that Orwell was a man of contrasts and perhaps had difficulty in understanding himself and lasting happiness always seemed to elude him. This has been handled sensitively by Gordon Bowker.


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Most Recent Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Not great
500 pages of almost pure speculation placed into a context and time line around the work published by Orwell. Read more
Published 19 months ago by D. A. Carroll

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