About this episode

Historian Robert Colls discusses the final years of George Orwell's life and the impact of his health on his writing.

Did you know that George Orwell only found national acclaim as an author in the final years of his life, as his health was worsening? Or that, with the growing prospect of death looming increasingly large, he sought refuge on a remote Scottish island? Historian Robert Colls tells James Osborne about these last stages of Orwell's life, and the toll that writing his two most celebrated works – Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four – took on the author. ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCAST To find out more about George Orwell, listen to our Life of the Week episode profiling the author, with historian Laura Beers: https://bit.ly/4d6ka7D Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: James Osborne

Guest: Robert Colls

Topics covered

• George Orwell
• literary history
• health and writing
• Animal Farm
• Nineteen Eighty-Four
• biography
• historical context

Keywords

• George Orwell
• Animal Farm
• Nineteen Eighty-Four
• biography
• literary acclaim
• Scottish island
• health

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Animal Farm, Nineteen Eighty-Four

Places: Scottish island

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