To Orwell Today,

Hi,

It's very kind of you to run your Orwell web-site. It looks like a lot of work! Thanks from us all.

From what I read, the people found your answers very helpful. These are the sort of ones where I got that impression:

1984 CHESTNUT TREE CAFE ROYAL (...Could you help me understand the line: Under the spreading chestnut tree, I sold you and you sold me. I found it amazing but I'm not quite sure what to make of it. Is it involved with a betrayal theme? Any response would be wonderful....)

REMEMBER DAVE HOOK MOON SONG (...I happened on your website today and caught that you have postings about my friend, Dave Hook. It is with sadness that I have to report to you that Dave lost his battle with cancer almost three years ago to the day. To most Dave was a funny man -- an accomplished comedian who surely would have gone farther in his career had his life not been cut short. To others, he was an avid conspirator hunter -- ripping cellphones from the hands of the masses and barking at the moon. But to me, Dave; whom I called "Captain" was a kind, gentle soul who loved cats and spoke dearly of his mother. I consider myself lucky to have had him as a part of my life. Incidentally somewhere he is scrunching up his face and exclaiming, "How GAY"!! He left us on a Wednesday. August 30, 2006. He will be missed for my forever....)

DAVE HOOK RANTS I'M CANADIAN (...You know it's funny Dave was such a conspiracy hunter in his last couple of years but to me one of the biggest most personal conspiracies of his life (and really mine as well) was that of Molson Canadian's commercial "The Rant"..... "My name is Joe, and I am Canadian...")

WINSTON & JULIA (...Here's a question that has occurred to me and my grade 12 students. I've never seen it addressed in any commentary, from Harold Bloom to yourself: Is Julia a member of the Thought Police? Is she purposely and knowingly set up to trap Winston? O'Brien needs Winston to fall in love so that Winston can betray his lover and love BB, so he 'plants' Julia. At the end, hey, that isn't Julia. It's someone who has had plastic surgery to look like Julia. (The scar around her forehead. And why else would it have been established that plastic surgery is very advanced?). Meanwhile, the real Julia is off trapping someone else. Notice also that you NEVER get Julia's point of view in the novel. All statements about her thoughts are inferences by Winston. A master stroke by Orwell. It is after all a novel about not knowing what is real, and now the one thing that the reader thought was real turns out to be fake! What do you think?...)

We have A Walking Tour of George Orwell's London (there's a linked one of Barcelona).

A lot of Canadians (and people from the US too) come on it and seem to enjoy it (or so they tell TripAdvisor :-). Many thanks to them all.

Best,
David Poyser

Greetings David,

I always appreciate hearing from readers with their perceptions of Orwell's writings and Orwell's life, and their comments on the website -- it's what keeps ORWELL TODAY alive and thriving.

Thank you so much for being specific about some of the articles you've found helpful -- you sure have done your homework!!

And thank you also for sending the info on your walking tours of Orwell's London and for the links explaining your own connections to Orwell, passages of which I've excerpted below:

Interview: Cllr David Poyser at Islington Council (Islington's newly-elected councillor and long-time local, David Poyser, speaks to Sitematch London about how the borough could be improved, the authority's administration and the people he has been inspired by....)

About the Tour Guides (...My name is Dave Poyser, I first lived in London in 1973 and I have lived here most of the time since then. After my first degree in Politics, I came to London to do a postgrad in journalism, and it is the combination of Orwell's political thoughts and the way he combines these with his abilities as a journalist that inspire me. During a twenty year period in television production working as an award-winning Series Producer for the BBC, ITV and Channel 4, whenever I got it, I really enjoyed the opportunity to unearth parts of London's history, the city most of who live here just take for granted. Since leaving broadcasting, I have been very involved in local and national and international politics. Whether you have local tenants on estates wanting more cameras, or people wanting Brits to have ID cards as they do in many continental countries, the word 'Orwellian' is always on everyone's lips. While Animal Farm and 1984 are warnings for history, are about the role of the state gone very wrong, Orwell was also a great socialist and believer in the role of the state -- the fascinating question is whether Orwell himself would have seen proposed changes as the 'thin end of the wedge to an Orwellian nightmare' or 'part of the long slow march to a fairer society'. What we do know is that if Orwell was alive today, his thoughts on the issues would have been better written than anyone else.)

Your living in Islington, where Orwell lived, and sharing some of his other attributes (ie being a journalist who worked for BBC) no doubt contributes greatly to the knowledge gained and the enjoyment experienced by the people attending your Orwell tours.

I wonder if you ever met Peter Powell who lived in the flat next door to Orwell's flat at 27B Canonbury Square, Islington. He used to conduct walking tours of Orwell haunts as well. I met Peter during my HOMAGE TO ORWELL in 2003 and we raised a pint or two at Orwell's local pub.

All the best,
Jackie Jura, October 2017

WINSTON & JULIA WOODS LOCATION