Shortlisted for the Orwell Prize for Political Writing 2022
Roses,pleasure and politics: a fresh take on Orwell as an avid gardener,whose political writing was grounded in his passion for the natural world.
Outside my work the thing I care most about is gardening - George Orwell
Inspired by her encounter with the surviving roses that Orwell is said to have planted in his cottage in Hertfordshire,Rebecca Solnit explores how his involvement with plants,particularly flowers,illuminates his other commitments as a writer and antifascist,and the intertwined politics of nature and power.
Following his journey from the coal mines of England to taking up arms in the Spanish Civil War; from his prescient critique of Stalin to his analysis of the relationship between lies and authoritarianism,Solnit finds a more hopeful Orwell,whose love of nature pulses through his work and actions. And in her dialogue with the author,she makes fascinating forays into colonial legacies in the flower garden,discovers photographer Tina Modotti's roses,reveals Stalin's obsession with growing lemons in impossibly cold conditions,and exposes the brutal rose industry in Colombia.
A fresh reading of a towering figure of the 20th century which finds solace and solutions for the political and environmental challenges we face today,Orwell's Roses is a remarkable reflection on pleasure,beauty,and joy as acts of resistance.
Publisher: Granta BooksISBN: 9781783785520Number of pages: 320Weight: 226 gDimensions: 198 x 129 x 19 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
'I loved this book... An exhilarating romp through Orwell's life and times'- Margaret Atwood
Rebecca Solnit
Rebecca Solnit is an American writer and activist,with a diverse bibliography ranging from gender and cultural studies to travel writing,film biography and politics. Her most recent book is Whose Story is This which focuses on the multiplicity of narratives in modern society.
Visit the Rebecca Solnit author page
Kommentar