Orwell's Ghosts: Wisdom and Warnings for the 21st Century
by Laura Beers C Hurst, 224 pages, £20
Years after his death, George Orwell is everywhere. Social media is littered with protests about ‘Orwellian censorship’, Big Brother and the Ministry of Truth. In this context, Laura Beers’ new book, Orwell's Ghosts, is essential reading. Beers’ approach is to situate Orwell in his original context, recover his concerns and, from this vantage point, address contemporary debates.
Beer starts with the vexed question of ‘Orwellian cancel culture’. Here, she argues that there is simply no comparison between the fate of celebrities who are ‘cancelled’ on social media, and Winston Smith's torture in the cellars of the Ministry of Love. And, in opposition to claims about the ‘Orwellian censorship’ of ‘alternative facts’, she observes…
