UCL Secures Rare Orwell Publisher Letters

University College London

Now in the expert care of UCL Special Collections, the documents offer new insight into George Orwell's early literary relationships, his approach to publishing and his responses to criticism.

Women look at bound letters

Dating from 1934-37, the documents give fresh insight into the publication of four of Orwell's earliest published works: A Clergyman's Daughter, Keep the Aspidistra Flying, The Road to Wigan Pier and Inside the Whale, as well as observations on the politics of 1930s Europe that helped shape Orwell's thoughts and ideas.

The purchase by UCL, with support from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and the Friends of the Nations' Libraries, prevents the historic correspondence from being sold to private collectors piecemeal.

From top: Sarah Aitchison, Head of UCL Special Collections, and Richard Blair at an event held at UCL to celebrate the donation. Credit: UCL / James Tye.

George Orwell with a writer friend, Samuel McKechnie, and Eleanor Jaques on a beach in Southwold in 1932. Courtesy of the estate of Dennis Collings.

George Orwell writing in Morocco in 1938/9. Courtesy of UCL Special Collections and the Orwell Estate.

Orwell letters and Orwell biographer D.J. Taylor with Sarah Aitchison and Richard Blair. Credit: UCL / James Tye.

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