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Comment by marxisttemp | Hacker News Reader

George Orwell was a colonist cop who described his subjects as “brutes. The success of 1984 and Animal Farm were largely due to his wife Sonia Brownell promoting them in her job at the British propaganda ministry. He self-described as a “Tory-anarchist” but a detailed review of his life and beliefs leads me to think he was just the former.

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If you can say that and show awareness of Animal Farm, 1984 too really, in two short sentences then this is either trolling or you actually have something interesting to say if you'd care to expand on your 'detailed review of his life and beliefs'?

Sure, 1984 and Animal Farm were both fine critiques of Stalinism. They’re not that deep though, and it’s curious that this “socialist” “anarchist” author is largely revered for his critiques of communism. Again, largely because of his wife’s work at the propaganda ministry.

brownell didn't work at the ministry of information, and they married very shortly before he died

> Sonia worked with the Information Research Department (IRD), a propaganda department of the British Foreign Office, which helped to increase the international fame of Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four. With her support, the IRD was able to translate Animal Farm into over 16 languages,[3] and for British embassies to disseminate the book in over 14 countries for propaganda purposes

> Sonia is believed to be the model for Julia, the heroine of Nineteen Eighty-Four.[1][2]

> it’s curious that this “socialist” “anarchist” author is largely revered for his critiques of communism

Stalinism is not communism though, plenty of communists still hate it to this day, if anything Orwell is known for criticism of totalitarianism, not communism.

But he never wrote a novel providing a depiction of the pitfalls of corporate capitalism or right-wing ideology.

He traveled to a foreign country and joined a militia to put his life on the line fighting fascism. Does that demonstrate more or less skin in the game against fascism than Stalinism?

I’ll give you this: I was not aware of the Brownell-CIA connection at all, so thanks for that.

The common American perception of Orwell as anti-communist had something to do with that. But even if there had not been such a direct connection, that would have happened anyway. The Cold War made all political dialogue unidimensional for almost 50 years. Even today many people's minds are so shriveled they cannot encompass the thoughts of someone critical of both American capitalism and Soviet state communism - as your comments demonstrate.

Any serious examination of Orwell’s writing will show he was resolutely of the left. He was a socialist intellectual who was disdainful of the cultural fringes that the movement attracted. He largely romanticized the working class as naturally virtuous and with the right instincts for solidarity. In that way, and only that way, was he similar to right-wingers who dreamed of a return to pastoral tradition.

Is "Tory" in your mind just this vast, vague ocean, with sea monsters and dragons scribbled in the corners, that lies to the right of wherever you are?

The man fought for the republicans in the Spanish Civil war, for goodness sake. How can he be a Tory? Just because socialists 90 years ago had very different social sensibilities to those of today, does not mean you can suddenly decide they were conservatives.

(Not sure how detailed your review was, but he abandoned the "Tory Anarchist" label after his experiences in Spain in the 30s, and before his socialist apologist books that made him so famous).

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