Eileen O’Shaughnessy’s literary brilliance shaped George Orwell’s work, but like the undesirable citizens of Airstrip One she was erased from the history books. Why – and how – was she written out of the story?
If you read the major biographies of George Orwell you would be hard-pressed to know that his wife Eileen shaped his life and writing in profoundly significant ways: from saving his life in the Spanish civil war to seeding the ideas for Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four. The award-winning author of Stasiland Anna Funder has uncovered Eileen’s story in full and joins us on the podcast to share her insights into the character and times of Eric Blair and his tempestuous first marriage.
