George Orwell wasn’t afraid to speak against totalitarianism – but what was he for? Colin Burrow joins Tom to unpick the cultural conservatism and crackling violence underpinning Orwell’s writing, to reassess his vision of socialism and to figure out why teenagers love him so much.

If you want to join Colin Burrow and Clare Bucknell for their series on satire next year, and receive all the books under discussion, access to online seminars and the rest of the Close Readings audio, you can sign up to Close Readings Plus here: https://lrb.me/plus

Or just sign up to the Close Readings podcast subscription:

In Apple Podcasts: https://lrb.me/orwellapple

In other podcast apps: https://lrb.me/orwellsc

Find further reading on the episode page: lrb.me/orwellpod

Find out about the Colour Revolution exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum here:

https://www.ashmolean.org/exhibition/colour-revolution-victorian-art-fashion-design

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What was Orwell for?

The LRB Podcast

What was Orwell for?