George Orwell and Communist Poland : Emigre, Official and Clandestine Receptions

George Orwell and Communist Poland is the first major account of George Orwell’s Polish reception during the Second World War and the Cold War era. It shows how Orwell, the epitome of a censored writer in the Soviet bloc, enjoyed a fulsome reception both outside and within communist Poland. It does so by developing a tripartite framework to study reception in conditions of state-imposed censorship, where three channels are likely to develop: émigré, official and clandestine.

The book thus brings to light Orwell’s overlooked relationships with Polish exiles who informed his work and looked upon him not only as a writer but also a personal friend and political ally. They eagerly translated his works and sought multinational promotion, even behind the Iron Curtain. The volume argues that Orwell also experienced official reception. References and eventually his work were smuggled into state-controlled culture in officially accepted ways. Additionally, communist censorship files reflect his reception within the state apparatus. Finally, the book examines passionate clandestine responses to Orwell''s writing and myth in diaries and letters from as early as Stalinism and explores Orwell’s popularity among underground presses, where his works became bestsellers.

The book draws on sources in foreign languages and previously unseen material, including Orwell’s ‘lost’ letters to Teresa Jelenska, the Polish translator of Animal Farm. The volume significantly broadens our understanding of Orwell’s life, work and legacy. It also contributes to discussions in English literature and comparative literature, literary exchanges, translation, reception and censorship and East European studies.