“We are all living in Orwell’s world now” – The New York Times, 29 March

The Orwell Festival is returning to Bloomsbury, London, this month with an interesting line-up of events exploring some of the urgent themes and questions arising from Orwell’s work and legacy, from the future of Europe to our new age of propaganda, the politics of football, the “genius myth”, national identity, and Orwell’s own reception in China.

Bringing together leading writers, journalists and public figures, including Kim Darroch, Helen Lewis, and Philippe Auclair, and guided by Orwell’s values of decency, integrity and fidelity to truth, the Festival will culminate in the announcement of the winners of The Orwell Prizes, the UK’s most prestigious awards for political writing and reporting, on 25 June 2025.

The Orwell Festival is hosted by The Orwell Foundation and based at University College London, home of the UNESCO-registered Orwell Archive. We are delighted to welcome Arvon, the Frontline Club, Pushkin House, and Waterstones as event partners this year, alongside our founding sponsors The Political Quarterly.

The Orwell Prize 2025 shortlists will be announced on 14 May with further participants and events to be announced then.

via The Orwell Foundation