THE ORWELL SOCIETY

EARLIER this week, we celebrated the 75th anniversary of the publication of Animal Farm, Orwell's allegory of the Russian Revolution and universal parable on the corrupting influence of power. Usually, we'd be celebrating with a series of events and finishing the day off with a game of cards, but sadly we were unable to have Mr Pilkington round this year. However, we were fortunate enough to be joined by Orwell’s biographer DJ Taylor and George Orwell’s son, Richard Blair, for an exclusive new short film that explores the professional and personal struggles Orwell faced in his battle to get the novel which transformed his career and reputation published. Whilst all Animal Farm celebrations are equal, some Animal Farm celebrations are more equal than others. Keep scrolling to watch the film and we are certain you will agree.

Elsewhere in the news, The Orwell Foundation has been following the story of Orwell Youth Prize winner Jessica Johnson, whose piece ‘A Band Apart’, about a dystopian future where an algorithm splits students into bands based on their background, has been widely praised as prescient following the fiasco surrounding this year’s A-level results. Interviewed by BBC Breakfast and Channel 4 News on Wednesday 19 August, Jessica, who wrote the story and won the prize last year, has described how she then discovered she had ‘fallen into her own story’ after her own results were downgraded, leading her to potentially miss out on a place at St Andrews to study English Literature and a scholarship, which was awarded in part on the strength of her extra-curricular achievements. We are pleased to confirm that her place at St Andrews and scholarship have now been confirmed, following the government’s recent change of policy. You can see a summary of the way Jessica’s remarkable story unfolded on our website.

Jessica’s story was chosen in 2019 by judge Caitlin Moran. The Orwell Youth Prize calls on a wide network of expert volunteers to read and sift young people’s entries (all of which are entitled to individual feedback before their final submission). We have been astonished by the number of exceptional entries this year, as over 1200 young people entered the prize during lockdown. Over the last month, we were delighted to announce this year’s winners, chosen by judges Kayo Chingonyi and Kerry Hudson. These are also available to read online. Stay tuned to the Orwell Youth Prize twitter channel as we release comments from ours judges on this year's winning pieces.

There is more to come, too. For those who have been looking to take up a hobby during lockdown, you will pleased to know that an indie adventure video game of Animal Farm will be released in the autumn in celebration of the 75th anniversary of Animal Farm's publication. You can follow the game's development through their Twitter channel: we have had a sneak peak and it is looking doubleplusgood. In the meantime, here is your monthly update of all things Orwell.

Jordan and the Foundation team