Tag Archives: George Orwell

Why Orwell’s 1984 Still Matters

Posted on June 13, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

Each year around this time someone remembers that George Orwell’s iconic novel Nineteen Eighty- Four was first released in June of 1949. I think that bringing attention to the book is always a valuable exercise, now more than ever. Ironically, in … Continue reading →

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Orwell, Animal Farm and Ukraine

Posted on March 30, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

In 1946, Ihor Szewczenko ,who was a linguist who had been editing pocket-sized Ukrainian-English dictionaries for refugees in displaced persons camps in Germany, wrote to George Orwell requesting permission to translate Animal Farm into Ukrainian. He explained that his Ukrainian … Continue reading →

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Man serves the interests of no creature except himself

Posted on March 13, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

I first read George Orwell’s seminal anti-totalitarianism satire  Animal Farm when I lacked the political sophistication to truly understand the significance of the story, but some how I managed to grasp the essential themes of idealism, power and corruption in … Continue reading →

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Down and Out in Paris

Posted on February 3, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

In 1928, a former Colonial police officer and aspiring author named Eric Arthur Blair moved from his London home to Paris in order to buckle down and launch his writing career. The move didn’t work out so well, but it … Continue reading →

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Readers Pick Best Book Of The Past 125 Years

Posted on January 20, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

The New York Times Book Review has celebrated 125th anniversary by asking readers to nominate the best book of the past 125 years. The reader submissions were wittled down to a list of 25, which were voted on by more … Continue reading →

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

Posted on December 12, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

I was recently surprised and intrigued to read that the estate of George Orwell has approved a feminist retelling of Nineteen Eighty-Four, which reimagines the story from the perspective of Winston Smith’s lover Julia. In the iconic dystopian novel, Smith … Continue reading →

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When They Haven’t Really Read The Book

Posted on May 24, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Cartoonist Ward Sutton creates classic books illustrated by artists who have clearly not read the books.

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Lessons from the 20th Century

Posted on January 11, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Following the horrific events of last week, I am not alone in reflecting back on the cautionary warnings of Yale historian Timothy Snyder. His short, but powerful book On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century published just days after the … Continue reading →

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Where We Are Now

Posted on June 26, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

 

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All animals are equal…

Posted on May 29, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

I recently ran across the wonderful 50th anniversary edition of the first U.S. publication of George Orwell’s Animal House. Issued in 1995, Animal House: A Fairy Story features 100 mindblowing illustrations by the inimitable Ralph Steadman. Along with the addition of the brilliant illustrations, … Continue reading →

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