Description: A major literary event: the long-awaited publication of George Orwell's diaries, chronicling the events that inspired his greatest works.
Brief description: George Orwell (Eric Arthur Blair, 1903-1950) wrote fiction, journalism, criticism, and poetry. His nine books include the classics Animal Farm and 1984.
Review Quotes: One cannot help but be struck by the degree to which [Orwell] became, in Henry James's words, one of those upon whom nothing was lost. By declining to lie, even as far as possible to himself, and by his determination to seek elusive but verifiable truth, he showed how much can be accomplished by an individual who unites the qualities of intellectual honesty and moral courage.--Christopher Hitchens, from the Introduction of Diaries