A pioneering biography of George Orwell told through moments of everyday life 'A clever
offbeat history of mid-century Britain through George Orwell's eyes.' Helen Lewis When we
think about Orwell we imagine an angular moustachioed sceptic crouched over a typewriter who
- between puffs on his cigarette - composes effortless streams of prose unadorned but
explosive. We see a man with 'Important Things to Say' about: the slow creep of
authoritarianism the consequences of all-seeing tech the fragility of truth. Much less
often do we see him as a person caught up in the business of everyday life. And yet Orwell's
work thrums with the quotidian: the smell of boiled cabbage the chill of an unheated flat in
early spring the rumbling of old pipes. A Bright Cold Day reveals how the principles that
govern us begin in the mundane. From waking and showering to breakfast work lunch the pub
sleep and dreaming Orwell was never dulled to the routines of living. And in the details of
the day we can understand how power money freedom and choice play out not just for Orwell's
literary characters but for us all. *** 'An astute and intimate portrait of George
Orwell.' Dorian Lynskey author of The Ministry of Truth 'Beautifully written... urgent and
compelling.' Emma Smith author of Portable Magic
