The Prevention of Literature

“No thinking person can or does genuinely keep out of politics, in an age like the present one.”

George Orwell set out “to make political writing into an art”, and to a wide extent, this aim shaped the future of English literature. His vivid descriptions of authoritarian regimes helped to form a new vocabulary that is fundamental to understanding totalitarianism.

While 1984 and Animal Farm are among the most popular classic novels in the English language, this new series of Orwell's essays seeks to bring a wider selection of his writing on politics and literature to a new readership.

About The Prevention of Literature

This is the third installment in Orwell's Essays series. In this essay, Orwell:

• Considers the freedom of thought and expression.
• Discusses the effect of press ownership on the accuracy of event reporting.
• Critiques political language, which he describes as “consisting almost entirely of prefabricated phrases bolted together.”

The Prevention of Literature is a stirring cry for freedom from censorship. Orwell argues that this freedom must begin with the writer themselves, stating:
“To write in plain vigorous language one has to think fearlessly.”

This essay is a compelling exploration of the intersection of politics, literature, and the fight for intellectual liberty.