An email from Orwell
“What I have most wanted to do… is to make political writing into an art.”
George Orwell, Why I Write
Orwell Daily is the new way to read one of the world’s greatest writers: curated extracts from George Orwell's peerless journalism delivered direct to your inbox ‘on the day’ they were published, from lesser-known gems to items of contemporary interest.
Orwell Daily is a project from The Orwell Foundation, a registered charity, and comes with an official stamp of approval from the Orwell Estate. It’s free for all, but you can help make projects like this possible by taking out a paid subscription on Substack, becoming a Friend of the Foundation or making a one-off donation.
i) Why Orwell’s journalism?
As well as being the author of two of the modern world’s most influential novels, Animal Farm (1945) and Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949), George Orwell (1903-1950) was a prolific, entertaining and provocative journalist, essayist and critic.
As a working journalist scrabbling to make a living from his typewriter, Orwell wrote about everything from saucy seaside postcards to the psychology of nationalism. These articles are also where you will find the origins of some of his most striking ideas, including the principles which would become ‘doublethink’.
Orwell’s journalism offers a remarkable insight into a writer’s mind at work and a fascinating snapshot of life, politics and literary culture in Britain in the 1940s. We think it deserves to be as well known as his novels. But where to start?
ii) How does it work?
Orwell Daily is a bite-size introduction to Orwell’s journalism - and the perfect way to spend a coffee break (Orwell would have had a cup of tea). Every week, we share a selection from Orwell’s writing ‘on the day’ it was published, with a focus on digging out lesser-known gems and items of contemporary interest.
There will be one or two extracts a week, and we will always make it clear where you can find the original if you want to read further. Orwell wrote for a variety of magazines, not all of which were published daily. Sometimes, we might share pieces in the month or season in which they were published (e.g. ‘Autumn’ or ‘September’).
iii) It’s free?
Yes! If you’d like to support us directly, there is also an option to take out a paid subscription. Think of it as the official Orwell book club.
Orwell Daily is just one of the ways in which the Orwell Foundation keeps Orwell’s legacy alive: we also award the UK’s most prestigious prizes for political writing and reporting, run an innovative school outreach programme and maintain a wide range of online resources - as well as hosting a busy public events programme.
To find out more about supporting our work as a Friend or Patron - or make an individual one-off donation - visit our website, where you can also find out about other ways to get involved, from attending our events to volunteering.
The Orwell Foundation is an independent, registered charity based in the United Kingdom. By joining the community, you'll be supporting the work we do to keep Orwell’s legacy alive, from our work in schools to projects like this one.
iv) Finally, a word about the text
We hope Orwell Daily will inspire you to find out more about Orwell’s journalism and essays and even get your hands on your own copies of the texts we’re serialising.
In all our serials, the text is taken from The Complete Works of George Orwell, edited by the late Peter Davison. Orwell Daily is a homage to Peter’s authoritative edition (which is also the inspiration for our navy/red colour scheme).
Orwell’s diaries can also be found in George Orwell: Diaries, also edited by Davison.
Illustration courtesy of André Carrilho
