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Synopsis
Rodden, one of the world's leading Orwell scholars, sorts through the uses to which Orwell has been put in the last few decades, suggesting where, when, and why Orwell's friends and followers have sinned in conscripting him for this or that cause.
Library Journal
Fourteen years after his highly acclaimed study, The Politics of Literary Reputation: The Making and Claiming of "St. George" Orwell, Rodden revisits the Orwell legend. Intended as a centennial tribute to Orwell (born June 25, 1903), this book argues that Orwell's influence has not waned in this new century. Rodden's survey of the writer's "afterlife" is presented in three sections. The first section looks back at the 1980s and the countdown to 1984, shows how Orwell's reputation changed in the former Communist countries of Eastern Europe, and reassesses Animal Farm (including Turner Network's 1999 film version). The second section examines the cultural politics of the former East Germany-a "regime of terror" very similar to the totalitarian future described in Nineteen Eighty-Four. Finally, the third section considers how Orwell (born Eric Blair) became "Orwell," summarizes the cultural war over his legacy, and proclaims him to be a "moral radical" rather than a political radical. While not as long or as substantial as The Politics of Literary Reputation, this work is a valuable update and a good supplement to other recent studies (such as Christopher Hitchens's Why Orwell Matters). Recommended for most libraries.-Thomas A. Karel, Franklin & Marshall Coll. Lib., Lancaster, PA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.