Karel, Thomas A. "George Orwell: A Pre-1984 Bibliography of Criticism,
1975-1983." Bulletin of Bibliography. 41 (1984): 133-47.
* A secondary bibliography of works from 1975-1983, partially annotated.
Divided into four sections: Books, Sections of Books, Periodical Articles,
and Dissertations (1955-1983). KC
McDowell, Jennifer. "George Orwell: Bibliographical Addenda."
Bulletin of Bibliography. 23 (1963): 224-29.
* A supplement to Zeke and White which lists Orwell's articles and
reviews in periodicals and books, and letters of reply to his work. AB
McDowell, Jennifer. "George Orwell: Bibliographical Addenda."
Bulletin of Bibliography. 24 (1963): 19-24.
* A list of letters on Orwell's work; books, pamphlets and theses;
bibliographies; chapters in books and periodical articles on Orwell. AB
McDowell, Jennifer. "George Orwell: Bibliographical Addenda."
Bulletin of Bibliography. 24 (1963): 36-40.
* A list of reviews of Orwell's books, broadcasts, obituaries, portraits,
and more articles and reviews in periodicals by Orwell. AB
Meyers, Jeffrey. "George Orwell: A Bibliography." Bulletin
of Bibliography. 31 (1974): 117-21.
* A bibliography of criticism on Orwell which lists three hundred books
and articles in English, French, Italian, German, Dutch, Norwegian, Serbo-Croat,
Hungarian and Japanese. AB
Meyers, Jeffrey. "George Orwell: A Selected Checklist." Modern
Fiction Studies. 21 (1975): 133-36.
* A supplement to the earlier bibliography which lists an additional
eighty-five books and articles on Orwell. AB
Meyers, Jeffrey, and Valerie Meyers. George Orwell: An Annotated
Bibliography of Criticism. New York and London: Garland Publishing,
1977.
* This lists books, articles, chapters in books, and reviews about
Orwell's work from all over the world. Each item is accompanied by a brief
synopsis and occasionally evaluative comment.
Rice, Thomas Jackson. "George Orwell." English Fiction, 1900-1950:
Individual Authors: Joyce to Woolf: A Guide to Information Sources.
Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1983.
* This is both a primary and secondary bibliography on Orwell, with
brief annotations. Two hundred eighty-seven critical items are listed.
TK
Schlueter, Paul. "Supplement to 'Trends in Orwell Criticism, 1968-1984'
(through 1990)." Bulletin of Bibliography. 49 (1992): 115-26.
* A secondary bibliography of works in English mainly from 1984-1990.
Not annotated. KC
Schlueter, Paul. "Trends in Orwell Criticism, 1968-1983." College
Literature. 11.1 (1984): 94-112.
* Schlueter's original secondary bibliography. KC
Schlueter, Paul. "Trends in Orwell Criticism, 1968-1984." Critical
Essays on George Orwell. Ed. Bernard Oldsey and Joseph Browne. Boston:
G. K. Hall, 1986.
* An expanded version of Schlueter's original secondary bibliography.
KC
Willison, I. R. George Orwell: Some Materials for a Bibliography.
School of Librarianship, London University, 1953.
* Willison later collaborated on a bibliography in Bulletin of Bibliography
with Ian Angus. KC
Willison, Ian and Ian Angus. "George Orwell: Bibliographical Addenda."
Bulletin of Bibliography. 24 (1965): 180-87.
* A supplement to Zeke and White and McDowell's bibliographies, which
lists Orwell's prefaces and introductions; articles, reviews and letters
in periodicals; unsigned contributions; and letters on Orwell's work. AB
Zeke, Zoltan and William White. "George Orwell: A Selected Bibliography."
Bulletin of Bibliography. 23 (1961): 100-14.
* A list of Orwell's books, collected essays, articles and reviews
in periodicals, poems and works edited, from 1930 to 1952. AB
Zeke, Zoltan and William White. "Orwelliana." Bulletin of Bibliography.
23 (1961): 140-44.
* A list of books, chapters in books, periodical articles and reviews
of books by and about Orwell. AB
Zeke, Zoltan and William White. "Orwelliana." Bulletin of Bibliography.
23 (1962): 166-68.
* A list of reviews of books by and about Orwell, obituaries, portraits,
late essays and reviews by Orwell, films, radio and television adaptations.
AB
Buddicom, Jacintha. Eric and Us: A Remembrance of George Orwell.
London: Leslie Frewin, 1974.
* This is a sympathetic account of Orwell's boyhood and in particular
of his friendship with the Buddicom family during the years 1914-22. It
is particularly valuable for its insight into the Blair family background
at Henley and Shiplake and for the evidence it offers of Orwell's early
literary ambitions. There is much interesting material on his boyhood reading
and on the literary influences which helped to shape his distinctive style
and approach. The volume also contains three early poems and a number of
hitherto unpublished letters. GOC
Crick, Bernard. George Orwell: A Life. London: Secker &
Warburg, 1980.
* This is the basic resource for anyone needing information on Orwell's
life and work. PREF
* The authorized biography, objective and unspeculative -- the first
biographer to be given access to private papers held by Orwell's widow.
PPF
* The most comprehensive... biographical work on Orwell thus far. TK
* Bernard Crick has achieved an extremely readable and straightforward
account of Orwell's life...a fascinating and erudite biography which illuminates
Orwell's own writings and helps the reader to understand the complexities
of his life and friendships. GOC
Dunn, Avril. "My Brother, George Orwell." Twentieth Century.
March 1961: 255-61.
* A useful and lucid memoir by Orwell's sister, recorded for the BBC
in 1960. She describes Orwell's pleasant childhood and happy, though reserved,
family relationship; the effects on his character of life in Burma, his
early writing and decision to make it his life-work, his life on Jura and
his illness. AB
Fyvel, T. R. George Orwell: A Personal Memoir. London:
Macmillan, 1982.
* An account by a close friend upholding Orwell as a secular saint
and arguing that in Nineteen Eighty-Four, out of his private nightmare
he produced a book prophetically related to the public problems of the
age. PPF
* Primarily covers the last ten years of Orwell's life. TK
Heppenstall, Rayner. Four Absentees. London: Barrie and
Rockcliff, 1960.
* On the whole, hostile anecdotal reminisces by an acquaintance who
once shared a flat with Orwell in London: Orwell emerges as a prejudiced
eccentric. PPF
* ...Heppenstall traces his friendship with Orwell....includes the
anecdotes on Orwell he had previously published, and comments on their
effect on the public. AB
Potts, Paul. "Don Quixote on a Bicycle: In Memoriam, George Orwell,
1903-1950." London Magazine. March 1957: 39-47.
* A memoir and character-sketch of Orwell. Potts emphasizes his kindness,
independence, courage, integrity, Englishness, and recalls his capacity
for hard work, his taste in food, his conversation, and his hobbies. He
describes his reaction to the death of his wife and his care of his child.
AB
Powell, Anthony. "George Orwell: A Memoir." Atlantic Monthly.
October 1967: 62-68.
* Perhaps the most vivid personal reminiscence of Orwell, this essay
describes him as ascetic, intransigent, moralistic, hard to know. Powell
captures many physical aspects of Orwell: his voice, carefully controlled
not to sound "public school"; his clothes, always shabby corduroys and
tweeds. Powell describes his persecution mania and his solemnity; his fondness
for Victorian atmosphere in places he lived; his devoted care of his child.
AB
Pritchett, V. S. "George Orwell." New Statesman. 28 January
1950: 96.
* Pritchett's sympathetic and insightful obituary, which appeared a
week after Orwell's death, was extremely influential in establishing the
personal reputation of the tall emaciated man with a face scored by the
marks of physical suffering. Pritchett mentions his masochism, says he
had gone native in his own country, and calls him a kind of saint, the
guilty conscience of the educated and privileged man. AB
Stansky, Peter and William Abrahams. Orwell: The Transformation.
London: Constable, 1979.
* Biography from the publication of his first novel to his involvement
in the Spanish Civil War. PPF
* A sequel to the authors' The Unknown Orwell... TK
* ...they carefully followed Orwell's footsteps, sometimes giving more
detail that Crick can, and they were able to interview some persons, such
as Mrs. Vaughan Wilkes, who had died before Crick began his study. So Stansky
and Abrahams usefully supplement Crick's biography... PREF
* It is particularly valuable for its account of his friendships during
this crucial period and for the sensitive portrayal of his wife and her
influence on his career. GOC
Stansky, Peter and William Abrahams. The Unknown Orwell.
London: Constable, 1972.
* This is a scholarly study of the first thirty years of Orwell's life,
from his birth in 1903 to the publication of Down and Out in Paris and
London in 1933. The authors have painstakingly researched his school
days at St. Cyprian's and at Eton, his years in Burma, and the laborious
literary apprenticeship he underwent in Paris and London before the publication
of his first book. GOC
Symons, Julian. "Orwell -- A Reminiscence." London Magazine.
September 1963: 35-49.
* An account of a friendship with Orwell which began in 1944, with
descriptions of his character, physical appearance and behavior. Symons
stresses Orwell's reticence about personal matters, his extreme integrity
and honesty, his generosity, and his directness of manner which almost
amounted to gaucherie. Some extracts from Orwell's letters are included,
one of them a response to Symons' review of 1984. Symons characterizes
Orwell as a man struggling to overcome childhood neuroses, who became a
better person by sheer effort. AB
print copyright January 9, 1996 Kara Chiodo
HTML copyright August 9, 1998 Kara Chiodo
Copies may be made for educational use only.
Contact the author at goldbug@ou.edu