George Orwell died of a massive hemorrhage of the lung in the early hours of Saturday January 21st 1950 at University College Hospital in London. Death came very quickly. Although his wife Sonia had been with him much of the preceding day, he died alone. Orwell had asked in his will of 18 January...
Read More »
The last letter among Orwell’s papers from a well-wisher was from the critic and literary journalist Desmond MacCarthy (1877-1952). He said that he had written two letters which he had torn up because they did not express what he really wished to say. Now that he was meeting Sonia for lunch, he was sending...
Read More »
Cranham Lodge, Cranham, Gloucester 24 August 1949 Dear Fred, Thanks so much for your letter & good wishes. I arranged with Moreland to come to his London hospital for a month or two, but haven’t fixed a date yet—I suppose in 2-3 weeks. I don’t know if there is really any other treatment they...
Read More »
Cranham Lodge, Cranham, Gloucester 22 August 1949 Dear Fred, Could you please send one copy each of Burmese Days & Coming Up for Air to Sonia Brownell, care of Horizon. I have Morland coming to see me again this evening. On & off I have been feeling absolutely ghastly. It comes & goes, but...
Read More »
Cranham Lodge, Cranham, Gloucester 12 August 1949 Dear Moore, The Japanese contracts are herewith. I am sorry that on one of them, not noticing it was made out “Eric Blair” I started to initial it “G.O.”, but I presume the crossing-out doesn’t matter. As to the translations of A. F. I have more than...
Read More »
Cranham Lodge, Cranham, Gloucester 18 July 1949 Dear David, I wonder how you are getting on. I was slightly dismayed to hear from Charoux1 that you were getting along “as well as can be expected.” I had thought the operation you were having was something very minor. Let me know how you are when...
Read More »
Cranham Lodge, Cranham, Gloucester 11 August 1949 Dear Tosco, It was so awfully kind of you & Mary to send me those wonderful crystallised fruits, which must be very difficult to get hold of nowadays, in fact I hardly knew such things still existed. I was very sorry indeed to put you all off...
Read More »
Cranham Lodge, Cranham, Gloucester 24 July 1949 Dear Moore, Thank you for your letter of the 22nd. With regard this business of a Russian translation of Animal Farm. I should like to hear some more about the negotiations you have in hand, because there are two points that arise. In the first place,...
Read More »
Cranham Lodge, Cranham, Gloucester 14 July 1949 Dear David, I’ve just seen Leo Robertson, my old friend from Burma of whom I spoke to you, & I told him to write to you & ask if you could give him an interview. He is a man of about 55, was born & partly brought...
Read More »
Cranham Lodge, Cranham, Gloucester 15 July 1949 Dear Miss Fischer, It was extremely kind of you to send me those chocolates, which arrived several days ago.1 I hope you have been having an interesting & not too depressing time in Germany. I am about the same—a little better, I think. I don’t know whether...
Read More »
