edited by W.J. West ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 1985
Orwell fans will find this hitherto unsung period of his life during WW II intriguing. Employed by the BBC as a producer of talk shows and various literary and political commentaries, Orwell's experiences are interesting in themselves, but also provide an insight into his postwar books, Animal Farm and 1984. The editor has rummaged in the vast BBC files and done a fine job of research and detective work. Many of Orwell's scripts were discovered and together with his official correspondence and collaboration with writers such as T.S. Eliot, William Empson, E.M. Forster and others, provide an excellent picture of wartime radio, propaganda and censorship. Orwell, himself too ill for regular duty, was brought into the BBC to handle broadcasts to India in August 1941 and lasted until November 1943. Ironically, one of his books had been banned in India and his decided political orneriness made him a problematic bureaucrat. He evidentally enjoyed the demanding work and maneuvered through the maze of red tape surprisingly well. Some thought he wasted himself in this work, but it is clear that he benefitted considerably by being worked hard and paid well. He himself always claimed to have liked being there. However, his reactions to the Ministry of the Interior's censorship policies, the enthusiasm for Basic English (which he shared), and the government's general imperial policy, coalesced to form what we now know as 1984. Orwell enthusiasts will be rewarded by this book. For those who are less familiar with him, West's introduction is enough to make them want to read more of Orwell. The selections are enriched by West's judicious use of supporting material gleaned from interviews he had with people who knew and worked with Orwell during the war.
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1985
ISBN: 0877957452
Page Count: 328
Publisher: Arbor House
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1985
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by W.J. West
by William Strunk & E.B. White ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 15, 1972
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
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by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
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by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson
BOOK REVIEW
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis
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