I am currently writing a book about George Orwell. The provisional title is Orwell in Paris: The Making of a Writer and a 50 000 word manuscript is almost complete. You can checkout this map of locations which provides a good overview of important people and places.

During 2018, I first started to think about writing this book. For many years I had read extensively (books by and about Orwell) and amassed a large collection. Spending several weeks researching at the British Library and Orwell Archive was a treat, as was spending time with Orwell’s son, Richard Blair, on trips to Jura and Spain.

I continued to travel, research, speak and write about Orwell during 2019-20. Highlights included exploring Montparnasse in Paris, an intellectually stimulating trip to Spain where I met local experts and historians, including Nick Lloyd and Victor Pardo Lancina. It was great to hang out with Dennis Glover (after years of emailing) exploring Las Ramblas in Barcelona and the civil war trenches where Orwell fought (and almost died). Richard Blair read passages from Homage to Catalonia; which was a unique experience. Richard kindly signed my first edition of his father’s book at the Poliorama in Barcelona, where Orwell did guard duty while chain-smoking and reading Penguin paperbacks.

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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 18^th 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.

FEEL WELCOME TO CONTACT ME!