Tag Archives: George Orwell

It’s less Brave New and more 1984

Posted on November 6, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

In October of 1949, shortly after the publication of George Orwell’s, Nineteen Eighty-Four, he received a letter from  Aldous Huxley. Having recently finished reading Orwell’s now iconic book, Huxley had some feedback. What starts out as a letter of praise … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

“We are all living in Orwell’s world now”

Posted on May 1, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

“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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Europe, History, Writing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.

Posted on April 4, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. Winston Smith, his chin nuzzled into his breast in an effort to escape the vile wind, slipped quickly through the glass doors of Victory Mansions, though … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Europe, Writing | Tagged , | Leave a comment

et cetera

Posted on February 8, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

It was W.H. Auden who said: ‘there are good books which are only for adults, because their comprehension presupposes adult experiences, but there are no good books which are only for children.’ The great discipline of children’s fiction is that it has … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Books, Freedom of Speech, History, Restaurants, USA, Writing | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Orwell is turning in his grave

Posted on January 20, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

I thought that I had stumble on something from The Onion when I saw a story about a £2 George Orwell commemorative coin being minted in the UK. Shockingly, it was a true story. The Royal Mint will honor author George … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Europe, History, Restaurants, Writing | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Remember, therefore, that outcasts must never be afraid.

Posted on September 11, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

The true artist has always had to fight, but it is, and will be, a more ferocious struggle for you, and the artists of your generation, than ever before. The working man, this time, will be better looked after, he … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Books, Writing | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Build Your Sci-Fi Reading List

Posted on July 21, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Adrienne Westenfeld at Esquire enumerates the 75 best sci-fi books of all time. While I might find fault with some of the choices, and could quibble about the omissions, all in all it’s quite an interesting list. To be fair, I’ve … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, ebooks, USA, Writing | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

It’s always nineteen eighty-four somewhere

Posted on June 9, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

George Orwell’s seminal novel turns seventy-five this week. In Nineteen Eighty-Four, Orwell posed a frightening question: could people be conditioned to actually believe (rather than just pretend to believe) the lies they are told ? Here we are 75 years later … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Europe, Freedom of Speech, History, Writing | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

It was a bright cold day in April, so sweaters were necessary

Posted on January 22, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Every knitter and Orwell fan that you know will want this free download: a knitting pattern for a sweater depicting the cover of the iconic Penguin Classics version of George Orwell’s 1984. “The pattern includes extra alphabet charts so that … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Books, Writing | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Winston Smith Library of Victory & Truth

Posted on January 10, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Edinburgh-based artist Hans K Clausen is creating an innovative project titled “The Winston Smith Library of Victory and Truth.”  This visual art installation/ sculpture/ library will be centered solely on George Orwell’s iconic novel 1984 and be built from  1,984 … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Books, Europe, Film, Freedom of Speech, History, Libraries | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment