Was George Orwell the socialist hero we thought he was? Spoiler: absolutely not.

Juliet Corbett joins me to discuss Wifedom by Anna Funder, which reveals shocking truths about Orwell's treatment of his first wife, Eileen O'Shaughnessy.

Turns out Eileen was crucial to his best work but has been systematically written out of his story by biographers. We dig into the disturbing details of Orwell's behaviour - from putting Eileen's life at risk to his predatory conduct with women.

The book structure itself is also fascinating - blending biography with memoir + showing how Orwell's biographers colluded in erasing Eileen. Plus, it's a superb look at the gap between what he preached about equality + how he actually lived.

Fair warning: your opinion of Orwell might never recover.

Look for more Book Huddle episodes.

Books discussed in this episode:

Politics and the English Language - George Orwell

Wifedom - Anna Funder

1984 - George Orwell

Animal Farm - George Orwell

Down and Out in Paris and London - George Orwell

Homage to Catalonia - George Orwell

Juliet's Website + Free Ebook: consultjuliet.co.uk/ebook

Juliet's LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/julietcorbett

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