On Friday I learned that the Christmas he spent in jail was in fact spent in Bethnal Green Police Station.
I've never spent Christmas there, but I do recall taking toothbrushes and pyjamas to friends who, for whatever reason, felt that stealing money, thumping policemen and settling disputed games of Monopoly with a kitchen knife were the only options available.
I've learned that visitors to bookshops do not change.
In 1936 he wrote
"In a town like London there are always plenty of not quite certifiable lunatics walking the streets, and they tend to gravitate towards bookshops, because a bookshop is one of the few places where you can hang about for a long time without spending any money."
In 1946 he wrote
"The Catholic and the Communist are alike in assuming that an opponent cannot be both honest and intelligent."
I propose to read more Orwell.
And he was right about the BBC.
ReplyDeleteNo danger of being incarcerated in a police station these days as most have closed down or only operate on a 9- 5 basis. It is always startling to spot a copper pounding the beat these days as they are almost becoming a rare species except when Government buildings are under seige and there is a supposed terrorist threat.... Enjoyed both 1984 and Animal Farm, the latter being my favourite. I read once that Orwell had 1948 as the year in mind when he first wrote "1984" . He is a good political satirist and fine writer. Have several of his works in my private library.
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