Seeing things as they are - George Orwell

'This selection is a ceaseless delight ... there is a treat on almost every page' Daily Telegraph

George Orwell wrote, in his words, from 'a desire to see things as they are'. This new collection of his journalism and other writings, including articles, essays, broadcasts, poems, book and film reviews from across his career, shows his unmatched genius for observing the world. Whether discussing Polish immigration or Scottish independence, railing against racism, defending the English language or holding an imaginary conversation with Jonathan Swift, these pieces reveal a clear-eyed, entertaining and eternally relevant chronicler of his age.

Edited with an introduction by Peter Davison

'Orwell's luminous gift was for seeing things, for noticing what others
missed, took for granted or simply found uninteresting, for discovering
meaning and wonder in the familiarity of the everyday... Nothing escaped
or seemed beneath his notice, which was what made him such a good
reporter... Seeing Things As They Are is intended to be a
collection first and foremost of his journalism, with
preference given
to lesser-known pieces and reviews as well as some of the poems
he
wrote. It is full of interest and curiosities' Jason Cowley, Financial Times

'Peter
Davison gives us a feast of [Orwell's] shorter writings, showing how
from such hesitant beginnings he evolved into the writer of enduring
importance we know, committed to decency, equality and political
honesty, who could nevertheless wax lyrical over the first signs of
spring or an imaginary English pub' Gordon Bowker, Independent