Mr and Mrs Orwell's Invisible Lives

Anna Funder shines a light on Eileen O'Shaughnessy, George Orwell's homosexuality, and patriarchy as doublethink

Here’s my second Orwell interview of the week, this one with Anna Funder, author of the intriguing WIFEDOM. I recommend watching this in tandem with my show featuring D.J. Taylor, author of ORWELL: A NEW LIFE.

Anna also sent me a photograph of herself beside the statue of the great man outside Broadcasting House in London. Inscribed on the wall behind Martin Jenning’s statue are some words from Animal Farm’s unused preface: If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.

Exactly. And for all Funder’s criticisms of Orwell in WIFEDOM, there’s something Orwellian (if that’s the right word) about her memorable new book. Strongly recommended.