“Who controls the past… controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.” George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four
Dear Friends,
Last summer, news broke that a trove of George Orwell’s historic letters and papers was at risk of being sold off privately. Now, thanks to widespread outcry, and support from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and the Friends of the Nation’s Libraries, we are delighted to confirm that around 160 of these documents have been secured for the public and received by the Orwell Archive, which is housed here at University College London.
The material includes letters between Orwell and his publishers, Victor Gollancz, that shed fresh light on his working life and the origins of his most enduring ideas. Gollancz’s libel concerns run throughout the correspondence, with the publisher “often requesting that Orwell change names and details to reduce similarities with real people, places and companies.” When it came to his 1936 novel, Keep the Aspidistra Flying, Orwell protested: “These alterations spoil the book altogether.”
When The Orwell Foundation moved to UCL, one of our key aims was to expand public access to Orwell’s legacy. This remarkable acquisition helps us do just that.
🎉 Coming Up: The Orwell Prize Shortlists
This Wednesday, we announce the finalists for The Orwell Prizes, our celebration of the courageous writing and reporting that best meets Orwell’s own ambition "to make political writing into an art."
Selected by four independent judging panels, the shortlists reward the UK’s sharpest political writing, thinking and storytelling. And that’s just the start.
📍Join us at The Orwell Festival – May & June in London
Join us live in London for a month of events spotlighting some of the most urgent issues arising from Orwell’s remarkable legacy, from Orwell and China (28 May) to the Political Quarterly Conversation (free event, 3 June): in an ever more diverse UK, is it possible to find common ground, or are we destined to splinter further?
We’ll be announcing more events, and speakers from our shortlists, when the finalists are revealed this week. Friends go free. Join us in person!
🏆 Orwell Prize Ceremony – 25 June
The winners will be revealed at our annual awards night, a celebration of Orwell’s legacy and the writers and journalists who help us make sense of today’s world.
Also in this issue...
Read on for an update from The Orwell Youth Prize, including a special interview with our youngest patron, Aydin.
Warm regards,
The Orwell Foundation team
Orwell and China
28 May 2025 | University College London
From £12 (concessions available). Friends & UCL students go free.
Orwell’s work is banned in many authoritarian regime, but not in China. In fact, Nineteen Eighty-Four is widely available and frequently referenced. Meanwhile, dystopian fiction continues to fuel protest—from the Umbrella Movement in Hong Kong to online resistance across Asia.
So, how do writers, activists, and politicians interpret Orwell’s legacy in an age of surveillance, censorship, and global influence? Join a distinguished panel featuring:
Isabel Hilton, founder of China Dialogue Trust
Jeff Wasserstrom, author of Vigil: The Struggle for Hong Kong
Chair: Cindy Yu, incoming contributing editor at The Times and The Sunday Times
What does Orwell mean in a Chinese context today?
Can We All Belong?
3 June 2025 | University College London
Free event, in collaboration with The Political Quarterly
Immigration is once again at the heart of British political debate. But can we still tell a national story that unites us? This year’s PQ Conversation brings together:
Tariq Modood, founding director, Centre for the Study of Ethnicity and Citizenship
Sunder Katwala, director of British Future
Nicola Kelly, journalist and author of Anywhere But Here: How Britain's Broken Asylum System Fails Us All
Together, they’ll explore national identity, multiculturalism, and how we navigate the fault lines of belonging in modern Britain.
Sam, our Youth Prize Manager, writes:
"It has been an incredibly busy prize cycle. We have had a record number of entries this year, 1476 unique entries, of which we had 1103 submitted for feedback. The theme, ‘Freedom Is…’ has been incredibly popular with young people, who have crafted some impressive entries.
We are now in the process of shortlisting and getting ready for our judges, Anthony Anaxagorou, Manveen Rana and Gary Snapper, to make their final decisions. We expect to be able to pass on the results to entrants mid-June, and will be inviting winners and runners-up to our prize ceremony on June 25th. Keep your diaries free!
We’ve also been in conversation with Aydin, our youngest patron, and his class at Le Lycée Français de Los Angeles. Richard Blair zoomed the 8th Grade students (students aged 13 or 14), who had plenty of questions to ask on the topic of Animal Farm, Richard’s childhood and favourite Orwell works, and, of course, Orwell himself. It was a great experience and always interesting to hear the thoughts of our friends in the United States. Read our interview with Aydin below.
Finally, watch out for the new project from the Orwell Youth Fellows, who will be publishing a new project on Substack in just a few months’ time, once they get their exams out of the way. It is focused on the rise of AI and the restriction of freedom through ‘dream policing’- a spin off from Orwell’s own Thought Police."
Aydin is already a passionate reader of Orwell’s work. Here, he shares how Animal Farm first sparked his interest and why Orwell’s writing continues to shape his thinking today.
OF: What is your favourite Orwell book? Do you have a favourite copy?
Aydin: My favourite book by George Orwell is Animal Farm. I enjoy the way it is written and the bigger story hidden behind the farm. It’s a novel that represents the Soviet Union after the Russian Revolution under Stalin. Animal Farm is a classic piece of literature that transcends generations because of its historical significance. In today’s world, it signifies some of the uprisings towards aggressors and division among people and nations.
My favourite copy in my collection is a special gift I received from the Orwell Foundation, a special edition of Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four signed by his son, Richard Blair.
OF: What first inspired your interest in Orwell's work?
Aydin: After reading To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, I was fascinated by classic literature. After doing some research on classics, I soon gained interest in George Orwell’s work. I was recommended to read Animal Farm first in order to familiarize myself with his writing style.
OF: Why does Orwell matter to you today?
Adyin: Today, George Orwell’s work matters to me because of its historical and political significance. Reading his work has also educated me on historical events and improved my level of reading. I’ve realized that his works always have a meaning behind them, educating readers about subjects close to Orwell’s heart.
Become a Patron or Friend of The Orwell Foundation and join a growing community of supporters, like Aydin, dedicated to promoting George Orwell’s legacy around the world.
Some housekeeping…
As you may have noticed, we’ve moved our newsletter to Substack, which means all your Orwell News is now in one place.
In addition to our monthly newsletter, expect new writing on Orwell’s life, work and legacy, as well as highlights from our prize-winning writers. And if you haven’t already, remember to subscribe to Orwell Daily for curated emails from Orwell.
