George Orwell's oeuvre is everywhere this summer. Earlier this month,
Penguin released redesigned editions of his two seminal works
,
Animal Farm
and
1984
. On August 9th, the Orwell Prize will issue the Orwell Diaries for blog consumption in daily servings.
Like epistles addressed to no one and thus everyone, the
Englishman's entries
will offer a window into his personal life, critical inquiries, flora and fauna interests, and, of course, political views. Beginning with domestic affairs and transitioning into the political realm on September 7th, it's a chance to see the wordsmith refine his craft (the rules for which he outlined in
Politics and the English Language
).
In a time when we are mere user names, Orwell offers this reassurance: "When one reads any strongly individual piece of writing, one has the impression of seeing a face somewhere behind the page."