Thanks for visiting my website.
My partner and I live with our two teenagers and a miniature schnauzer in sunny Kiama, NSW, Australia. I have been blogging for almost 20 years and this particular iteration has been live for 14 years now. The focus has changed, and continues to change as I find new interests to write about.
The site mostly features my research into the life and writings of George Orwell (my book, Orwell in Paris: The Making of a Writer, will be completed later this year and is receiving some good publicity and interest from fans of his work). It has also become a space to share my bibliomania and wide reading about Orwell and his context. You can browse my library at the pages above.
Feel welcome to get in touch if you have a request, question or suggestion. I am always more than happy to collaborate.
You can contact me via Twitter (my DMs are open) or email: dfjmooreATgmail.com

George Orwell
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Sadly, COVID-19 prevented my research trip to Myanmar in January 2022 going ahead. Now, the terrible situation that continues to unfold for the people of that country makes a visit in the foreseeable future unlikely. I was particularly looking forward to exploring Moulmein and Katha.
However, I did manage to do more research and travel during June-July 2022 visiting London, Paris and Shropshire, where the young Eric Blair spent his summer holidays at Ticklerton during his teens. This trip was particularly pleasing as I spent quality time with many Orwellian friends and colleagues (as well as in the British Library, Crick Archive at Birbeck College and the Orwell Archive).
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I have presented my research locally and as far afield as University College, in London (and loved giving a “George Talk“, via Zoom to The Orwell Society about my research during a lockdown). My next “George Talk“, George Orwell & Searchlight Books, is scheduled for the 18th June 2023 at 6pm UK time.
It has been particularly exciting to publish academic papers and articles on my discoveries about Orwell’s time in Paris and his experiences in Burma.
My latest peer-reviewed paper, Orwell and the Secret Intelligence Service”, was published June 2022 in George Orwell Studies. Last year, “The True Artist: Poverty, Networking and Literary Artifice” and “Orwell in Burma: The Two Erics”, were published during May and December 2021 in the same journal. I encourage you to consider subscribing to stay up to date with the latest Orwell scholarship.
Here are most of my Orwell papers, articles and posts..
.ORWELL PUBLICATIONS
PEER REVIEWED PAPERS
“Orwell and the Secret Intelligence Service”, George Orwell Studies (2022) Vol. 6, No. 2 pp. 9-16
“The True Artist: Poverty, Networking and Literary Artifice”, George Orwell Studies (2021) Vol. 6, No. 1 pp. 7-31
“Orwell in Burma: The Two Erics”, George Orwell Studies (2021) Vol. 5, No. 2 pp. 6-24
“Orwell’s Scottish Ancestry and Slavery”, George Orwell Studies (2020) Vol. 5, No. 1 pp. 6-19
“Orwell’s Aunt Nellie”, George Orwell Studies (2020) Vol. 4, No.2 pp. 30-44
“Orwell and the Appeal of Opium”, George Orwell Studies (2018) Vol. 3, No.1 pp 83-102
ARTICLES
‘Esteemed by Other Orwellians for his Readiness to Offer Help and Encouragement’, George Orwell Studies (2023) Vol. 7, No.2 pp. 9–16
“Orwell’s Rats”, George Orwell Studies (2022) Vol. 7, No.1 pp. 92–101
“Stansky and Abrahams: Orwell’s First Biographers”, George Orwell Studies (2020) Vol. 4, No.2 pp. 104–114
“Leon Gellert, George Orwell and Nineteen Eighty-Four”, George Orwell Studies (2020) Vol. 4, No. 1 pp.105–112
“Orwell in Paris: Who was Ruth Graves?”, George Orwell Studies (2019) Vol. 3, No.2 pp. 55–70
“Collecting Orwell: A Kind of Compulsion”, George Orwell Studies (2018) Vol. 2, No. 2 pp.10-14
“George Orwell’s Legacy”, mETAphor (2018) Issue 3, pp. 22-24
REVIEWS
“Orwell and Empire by Douglas Kerr”, George Orwell Studies (2022) Vol. 7, No.1 pp. 102–106
“Orwell-inspired museum installation makes for uneasy viewing”, George Orwell Studies (2019) Vol. 3 , No. 1 pp. 135–137
“Tombs: Sharing Orwell’s Penchant for Puncturing Shibboleths”, George Orwell Studies (2019) Vol. 3, No.2 pp 89–94
CHAPTERS
“Homage to Stansky and Abrahams: Orwell’s first biographers”, in George Orwell: His Enduring Legacy, Davidson, Russ (editor), New Mexico: University of New Mexico, 2019
PRESENTATIONS
“George Orwell & Searchlight Books“, The Orwell Society, George Talks, 18 June 2023
“Orwell and Lanti in Paris”, Un siècle d’espérantisme ouvrier – 1921-2021, Paris, 17 December 2021
“Orwell in Paris”, The Orwell Society, George Talks, 12 July 2020
“The Unknown George Orwell”, Friends of Kiama Library, 8 June 2019
“Orwell and the Appeal of Opium”, Rebel? Prophet? Relic? Perspectives on George Orwell Conference, University College London 24-25 May 2019
*It is possible to read many of the papers at my Academia page.