"Saints should always be judged guilty until they are proved innocent"--George OrwellChristopher Hitchens acted out this lesson from Orwell's essay "Reflections on Gandhi" most explicitly when he testified against Mother Teresa's beatification. But even when he's writing a book that means to praise someone (in this case, "Why Orwell Matters"), Hitchens doesn't indulge in hagiography. In the book's introduction, Hitchens spells out his mission as "extricating Orwell from a pile of saccharine tablets and moist hankies". And for next 200 pages, he cuts through the white noise that surrounds Orwell, and tunes into the essence of a complicated man.The reason Orwell MATTERS, isn't because he was infallible and saintly. It was because he struggled against his prejudices and contradictions, faced unpleasant facts, and tried to act on his principles. He was only human, but he did his damndest.A wonderful (if brutal) example of his inner conflict, is illustrated in the essay "Shooting an Elephant". Orwell says that on one hand, he despises British colonialism and feels deep sympathy for its victims. On the other, he would gladly "drive a bayonet into a Buddhist priest’s guts". In the end, Orwell left his post in Burma, and vigorously advocated for the dismantling of British Colonial Rule. Orwell always tried to check himself, be transparent and intellectually honest, and had no illusions about man's darkest impulses. He knew that politics don't really matter, but principles endure. That is why Orwell is still so important today, and Hitchens argues this case with characteristic tenacity and erudition. Rightly this is a three star book in many ways but Hitchens' use of language elevates anything he writes by a notch for me. In a very brief manner he gives us picture of Orwell as a man and as an author. He addresses literary criticism and contrary opinion of both Orwell as a man and as a writer. Finally he does a reasonable job of shaving the pedestal upon which Orwell is often placed down when needed, only to find reasons to shim it back up later. Orwell's place in the annals of prescient literature was secure before Hitchens took up the task but this book does offer the reader a chance to examine the rather thorny brush of Orwell as flesh and blood in a concentrated and concise way.
What do You think about Why Orwell Matters (2002)?
More confronting his critics than talking about why he matters
—Mario
Generally good defence of Orwell; well written.
—Diva0997
