{"product_id":"george-orwell-the-secret-state-richard-lance-keeble-9781845497613","title":"George Orwell, the Secret State and the Making of Nineteen Eighty-Four","description":"\u003cp\u003eTo what extent did George Orwell's involvement with British secret intelligence influence the writing of \u003cem\u003eNineteen Eighty-Four\u003c\/em\u003e? How crucial was his friendship with David Astor, the millionaire owner of the \u003cem\u003eObserver\u003c\/em\u003e, with his background in intelligence and the Special Operations Executive, in the making of his great dystopian masterpiece? Has the role of Julia - who conducts a passionate, secret affair with anti-hero Winston Smith in \u003cem\u003eNineteen Eighty-Four\u003c\/em\u003e - as a possible Party spy engaged in a honeytrap operation, been marginalised too often?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese are just some of the questions highlighted in \u003cem\u003eGeorge Orwell, the Secret State and the Making of\u003c\/em\u003e Nineteen Eighty-Four which brings together 24 fascinating, original and often controversial essays by Richard Lance Keeble - to mark the 70th anniversary of Orwell's untimely death at the age of only 46. In addition, the text examines: \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003eOrwell's attitudes to sexuality reflected, in particular, in his essay on the sexy seaside postcards of Donald McGill;\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eOrwell's humorous writing in a range of texts including \u003cem\u003eHomage to Catalonia\u003c\/em\u003e (his account of fighting alongside the Republican militia during the Spanish civil war in 1937), 'Some thoughts on the common toad' and his 'As I Please' columns in \u003cem\u003eTribune\u003c\/em\u003e;\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eOrwell as a literary journalist focusing on his extraordinary prep school memoir 'Such, Such Were the Joys';\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eOrwell as the inventor not only of Cultural Studies but also Journalism Studies;\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eOrwell as a film reviewer, and\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eOrwell as a proto-blogger.\u003c\/li\u003e \u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eJohn Rodden, the leading authority on Orwell's legacy, comments: \u003cbr\u003e \u003cem\u003e'Keeble's provocative collection of essays represents an original and significant contribution both to Orwell biography and literary criticism.'\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eD. J. Taylor, the award-winning biographer of Orwell, comments: \u003cbr\u003e \u003cem\u003e'Richard Keeble is an indefatigable guide to the latest developments in Orwell Studies. I read George Orwell, The Secret State and the Making of Nineteen Eighty-Four with both profit and pleasure.'\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Richard Lance Keeble\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1845497619\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781845497613\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Theschoolbook.com\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 01\/27\/2020\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 182\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.58lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.21h x 6.14w x 0.39d","brand":"Richard Lance Keeble","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":43941897306367,"sku":"9781845497613","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/products\/img_359b17a7-6c23-42b5-9d25-bc6359db170f.jpg?v=1681455591","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/george-orwell-the-secret-state-richard-lance-keeble-9781845497613","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}