Description

A pioneering biography of George Orwell told through moments of everyday life

‘A clever, offbeat history of mid-century Britain through George Orwell’s eyes.’ Helen Lewis

When we think about Orwell, we imagine an angular, moustachioed sceptic crouched over a typewriter, who – between puffs on his cigarette – composes effortless streams of prose, unadorned but explosive. We see a man with ‘Important Things to Say’ about: the slow creep of authoritarianism; the consequences of all-seeing tech; the fragility of truth.

Much less often do we see him as a person caught up in the business of everyday life. And yet Orwell’s work thrums with the quotidian: the smell of boiled cabbage, the chill of an unheated flat in early spring, the rumbling of old pipes.

A Bright Cold Day reveals how the principles that govern us begin in the mundane. From waking and showering to breakfast, work, lunch, the pub, sleep and dreaming, Orwell was never dulled to the routines of living. And in the details of the day, we can understand how power, money, freedom and choice play out, not just for Orwell’s literary characters, but for us all.

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‘An astute and intimate portrait of George Orwell.’ Dorian Lynskey, author of The Ministry of Truth

‘Beautifully written… urgent and compelling.’ Emma Smith, author of Portable Magic

Publisher Review

‘From clogged sinks to nature rambles, Nathan Waddell has written a clever, offbeat history of mid-century Britain through George Orwell’s eyes. This book proves that the “everyday Orwell” is just as insightful as the Orwell of 1984 and Animal Farm.’ -Helen Lewis ‘An astute and intimate portrait of George Orwell. Not the prophet or the saint but the man who saw the priceless worth of ordinary lives and everyday moments.’ -Dorian Lynskey, author of The Ministry of Truth ‘From the creatures waking to a new post-human dawn in Animal Farm to nightmares about drowning via sticky marmalade jars and wheezy walks, this cleverly structured and beautifully written book simultaneously introduces Orwell, his works, and why they matter. It is an urgent and compelling call to notice the sublimity of the mundane in and through Orwell’s writing.’ -Emma Smith, author of Portable Magic