{"product_id":"9781805264392","title":"Orwell's Ghosts","description":"Author: Laura Beers\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 9781805264392\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Hurst Publishers\u003cbr\u003eYear first published: 01 Feb 2026\u003cbr\u003ePages: 244\u003cbr\u003eFormat: Paperback \/ softback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e**Finalist,\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e Book Prize 2025, Biography**\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e**\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBBC History\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eMagazine Book of the Year 2024**\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSeventy-five years after \u003ci\u003e1984\u003c\/i\u003efirst published, George Orwell is back. Progressives denounce 'Orwellian' untruths by Trump, Johnson, Putin et al, while conservatives accuse governments and mainstream media of 'Orwellian' censorship. But what does 'Orwellian' really mean? What would the man himself say about these crises, and what can we learn from his ideas?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eOrwell's Ghosts\u003c\/i\u003ereveals Orwell in all his complexity, exploring his commitment to political liberty and economic justice alongside his undeniable chauvinism. This sharp free thinker's commentaries remain invaluable, whether on political truth, disinformation, class, race and empire, or highlighting the promise of socialism and the dangerous appeal of authoritarianism. Even Orwell's misogyny offers troubling lessons about gender politics on the left. All of his books show remarkable resonance between the first half of the twentieth century and today's world.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRevisiting Orwell's own age of rapid change and urgent crossroads, this book sheds unique light on both our recent past and our current upheavals.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'[A] lucid, engaging study.... Beers reaches a satisfying synthesis, writing that Orwell illuminates how \"to resist the temptations of totalitarianism in favour of a more open and democratic socialism\".'\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Highly readable and thoughtful...Like some other significant recent works on Orwell, it mixes admiration for the author's keen appreciation of some forms of injustice with a sharp critique of specific blind spots and prejudices he had.'\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eProspect\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Rescues Orwell from \"two-dimensional caricature\" to present one of our greatest novelists and essayists, warts and all. Beers reveals how Orwell's politics, shaped by the tragedies of the first half of the twentieth century, can help to understand our own age of insecurity. An essential read.'\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eRachel Reeves, Chancellor of the Exchequer\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Beers convincingly uses Orwell's work to address current events... Her careful reflections on Orwell's thought are of value for those familiar with his work and those who only know him from two of his books. A determined attempt to rescue Orwell from the clutches of right-wing pundits and others who misconstrue his messages.'\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A valuable exploration of what it actually means to be \"Orwellian\".'\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublisher Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A noteworthy addition to the field... [and] an effective intellectual springboard for engaging with the zeitgeist.'\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eHindustan Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A succinct, wide-ranging work of what might be called applied literary exegesis, concluding with a reminder to those on the political left that they can only achieve their aims \"through common endeavour\" with others.'\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eHarvard Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'An interesting, challenging and enlightening book.'\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDaily Kos\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Full of fascinating historical detail and keen insights into contemporary politics, this is a gripping, insightful guide to Orwell's significance in the twenty-first century.'\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eSandra Newman, author of \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eJulia\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Essential reading for anyone who wants to know why Orwell is the ideal guide to our own age of upheaval.'\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eJason Cowley, Editor-in-Chief,\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e The New Statesman\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'With all and sundry taking Orwell's name in vain these days, it is timely to have a reminder of who he was and what he believed in, and also how his body of work can help us understand the world we live in now. Just the insight into his writings, beyond the obvious and best-known titles, makes Orwell's Ghosts well worth reading.'\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eNicola Sturgeon\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A perfectly timed and desperately needed book.'\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eTristan Snell, author of \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTaking Down Trump\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ships in 10 to 15 days","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46687976816798,"sku":"ADS-9781805264392","price":29.78,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0400\/9043\/5742\/files\/9781805264392.jpg?v=1775631037","url":"https:\/\/classicbargains.com.au\/products\/9781805264392","provider":"Classic Bargains Australia","version":"1.0","type":"link"}