"Colls has changed our view of Orwell's life and work, and offered a fresh perspective on a pivotal period in English intellectual and political history." --John Gray, author of Straw Dogs

"A judicious and all-too-rare example of an absorbing intellectual biography undergirded by scrupulous literary scholarship." --John Rodden, editor of The Cambridge Companion to George Orwell

"A compact intellectual biography with much political and social content... There are useful critiques of Orwell's early "angry" novels, his gradual appreciation of the working class, and the political contradictions that he never fully resolved... General readers will benefit from Colls's deft analysis of Orwell's writings and his attempt to pin down the author's politics." --Library Journal

"There have been many books written about George Orwell but this is surely among the best. Rob Colls has taken on the man's Englishness, his personality, warts and all, and the elusive notion that he was a rebel in his own land. It's full of zesty prose, fine insights, and a freshness of interpretation which made it a pleasure to read. It's a major achievement and a major work on George Orwell." --Melvyn Bragg

"Colls has changed our view of Orwell's life and work, and offered a fresh perspective on a pivotal period in English intellectual and political history." --John Gray, author of Straw Dogs

"A judicious and all-too-rare example of an absorbing intellectual biography undergirded by scrupulous literary scholarship." --John Rodden, editor of The Cambridge Companion to George Orwell

"Colls is a lovely writer, who is fearless in a way that academics too often are not... Full of learning and insight." --New Statesman

"[A] lucid work of intellectual biography... Colls's engaging style and frequent bursts of astringent wit make for lively reading suitable for any Orwell enthusiast." --Publishers Weekly

"A compact intellectual biography with much political and social content... There are useful critiques of Orwell's early "angry" novels, his gradual appreciation of the working class, and the political contradictions that he never fully resolved... General readers will benefit from Colls's deft analysis of Orwell's writings and his attempt to pin down the author's politics." --Library Journal

"There have been many books written about George Orwell but this is surely among the best. Rob Colls has taken on the man's Englishness, his personality, warts and all, and the elusive notion that he was a rebel in his own land. It's full of zesty prose, fine insights, and a freshness of interpretation which made it a pleasure to read. It's a major achievement and a major work on George Orwell." --Melvyn Bragg

"Colls has changed our view of Orwell's life and work, and offered a fresh perspective on a pivotal period in English intellectual and political history." --John Gray, author of Straw Dogs

"A judicious and all-too-rare example of an absorbing intellectual biography undergirded by scrupulous literary scholarship." --John Rodden, editor of The Cambridge Companion to George Orwell