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The Orwell Society
[edit]Registered Charity 1159072
Website: www.orwellsociety.com
| Patron | Richard Blair | 2011 |
| Chair | Professor Richard Keeble | 2014 |
| Secretary | Neil Smith | 2013 |
The Orwell Society was founded in 2011 with the expressed aim of furthering the understanding and appreciation of the life and work of George Orwell (The pen name of Eric Arthur Blair 1903-1950). It is a society without political affiliation dedicated to embracing and understanding aspects of Orwell's life and writings including his literary criticism, his diaries, his political writings and his poetry. The Society has since established a substantial worldwide membership and was awarded charitable status by the Charity Commission for England and Wales in 2014.
Origins
[edit]
The establishment of the Orwell Society grew out of events connected with the re-publication of Eric and Us A book of memoirs written by Orwell's childhood friend Jacintha Buddicom[1]. Jacintha’s memoirs first appeared in the Spring of 1974 with a frontispiece sketched by the famous war artist Edward Ardizzone. After an initial print run of 1,000 copies, a second and a third print run were published before the book disappeared from the shelves. When Jacintha died in 1993 she left the copyright of the book and associated images along with a generous legacy to her cousin - the Orwell Society’s principle founder Dione Venables. Prior to her death Jacintha had asked that some effort be made to get Eric and Us back into print. With the help of Orwell biographer Dr Gordon Bowker, Dione Venables did succeed in getting the book re-published complete with a postscript of additional information she had learned while caring for Jacintha and her sister Guinevere during their final years. A website created to promote the book expanded rapidly, featuring prominent writers who submitted essays on the subject of Orwell and his work. The idea for the creation of the Orwell Society grew from the popularity and worldwide interest in the Eric and Us website.
The inaugural meeting took place in Henley-on-Thames in December 2010 followed by a second meeting in the Spring of 2011, during which, George Orwell’s son Richard Blair pledged his support for the project by agreeing to become the society’s patron. Christopher Edwards was elected as the first chair of the society and stood until he stepped down in 2015 to be replaced by Professor Richard Lance Keeble of the University of Lincoln. Dione took on the role of Membership Secretary. Also present at those early meetings was Charles Wiggin (Treasurer) and Chris Organ (legal affairs). By the time of the embryonic society’s first AGM in April 2012 the committee had been swelled by the arrival of Dominic Cavendish the theatre critic of the Daily Telegraph, Ron Bateman who became the first Secretary of the Society and Quentin Kopp who is the son of Georges Kopp, Orwell’s Platoon Commander during the Spanish Civil War.
Annual AGM
[edit]The Society’s Annual AGM is typically held towards the end of April, usually at a location in London. The first AGM in 2012 was held at Senate House, London. During the proceedings, the Society took the opportunity to bestow Honorary Membership on Peter Davison (professor) for his unparalleled contribution towards the editing and publication of Orwell's work, including the twenty-volume The Complete Works of George Orwell.[2] Subsequent AGM venues have included Greenwich Theatre, St Andrew's College,Oxford and University College London the home of the George Orwell Archive. It has always been the society's aim to introduce at least one guest speaker at the annual AGM. Previous speakers to date:
- 2012 Dr Michael Sayeau - Trustee of the Orwell Archive
- 2012 Stephen Armstrong - Author of The Road to Wigan Pier Revisited
- 2013 Dr Gordon Bowker - Author of 2003 biography George Orwell
- 2014 Timothy Garton Ash - Historian and professor of European Studies at Oxford University
- 2015 Jane Rogoyska - Author of Gerda Taro - Inventing Robert Capa
- 2015 Dr Luke Seaber - Research Fellow of University College London.
- 2016 Alan Johnson MP - Former Cabinet Minister in both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown Governments.
- 2016 Timothy Crook - Professor of media and communication at Goldsmiths, University of London.
- 2017 Baroness Whitaker - wife of Ben Whitaker,MP. Project leader for the Orwell Memorial Statue at BBC Broadcasting House in Portland Place
Orwell Biographer D J Taylor has agreed to be guest speaker at the Annual AGM in 2018.
Society Publications and Collaborations
[edit]Society Journal
[edit]
The twice-yearly Society Journal began life as the ‘Annual Newsletter,’ the first two editions being edited and designed by Ron Bateman and Christopher Edwards. In 2013 Ron Bateman took over the editorship of the publication, since renamed as The Orwell Society Journal. He stepped down as editor in 2016 to be replaced by Masha Karp.
Goerge Orwell Studies
[edit]In 2016 the society began to promote and request contributions for a twice-yearly Journal titled George Orwell Studies published by Abramis Academic and edited by Richard Lance Keeble and John Newsinger. Each volume publishes academic papers and longer articles related to the life and work of George Orwell
Orwell's Poetry
[edit]In 2015 the society’s principle founder Dione Venables published the first collection of George Orwell’s Poetry. The hugely successful George Orwell The Complete Poetry[3] received nationwide coverage and raised the financial and media profile of the society significantly as all proceeds from the book were donated to the society. The book's launch was held at The Sloane Club in London on October 17th 2015.
Events
[edit]The events co-ordinator for the society Quentin Kopp regularly organises events in Spain where members can visit the sites that feature in Homage to Catalonia, Orwell’s memoir of the Spanish Civil War. On more than one occasion, Society Patron Richard Blair has escorted groups of members to Barnhill on the Scottish island of Jura to visit the house where his father completed the final draft of his most famous novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. Other trips include literary walks around London and Paris, and each year on Orwell’s Birthday, society members gather at his place of burial in the village of Sutton Courtenay in Oxfordshire to lay flowers and listen to Richard Blair recite from his father’s work. The society also plays a significant roll in promoting memorials and plaques honoring the legacy of George Orwell. In 2015 the society restored and rededicated a destroyed plaque on the former site of Booklover's Corner in Hampstead Heath - a bookshop where Orwell worked in the mid 1930s. Plans are also in place to refurbish and rededicate the plaque on the Blair family home in Southwold in Suffolk. The Society Patron Richard Blair was also on-hand, alongside Lord Hall the Director General of the BBC and former Political Editor and TV presenter Andrew Marr, to speak at the dedication ceremony for the George Orwell Memorial Statue (sculptor Martin Jennings). The Project had first been reported in the first Society Newsletter in January 2012 following correspondence with the project leader the late Ben Whitaker MP.
Bursaries
[edit]In 2016 a Bursaries Scheme was launched to fund students of journalism and teaching. The current value of the bursaries is £1500 per annum. Applicants are expected to demonstrate an appreciation of the true spirit of George Orwell's writing.
Prizes
[edit]In 2014 the Orwell Society 's Annual Dystopian Fiction Prize was established to commemorate the 65th Anniversary Of the publication of Nineteen Eighty-Four. The winners currently receives a cheque for £500 along with a specially commissioned bust of George Orwell. The winning entrants are published each year in the Society Journal.
Past Winners
[edit]- 2014 Tim Bancroft Beyond Reasonable Doubt
- 2015 Holly Domney Etanidrobus
- 2016 Maja Emilie Veflen Olsen The No Child Policy