Nomination Form International Memory of the World Register

Home , Richard Blair (patron), Sonia Orwell

Nomination form International Memory of the World Register

The Orwell Papers (United Kingdom) ID Code [2016-40]

1.0 Summary (max 200 words)

The nominated collection is the personal archive of George Orwell (born Eric Blair, 1903-1950), political thinker, essayist, novelist, journalist and broadcaster, regarded around the world as one of the most eminent literary and political figures of the 20th century. The famous British author of Animal Farm, an allegory of contemporary times, and Nineteen Eighty-Four, a fictional account of the dangerous potential of totalitarianism, is largely regarded today as a major cultural icon. Orwell kept very few personal papers and even fewer manuscripts of his writings, and what does remain, comprising manuscript notebooks, diaries, letters and other personal papers, including photographs, occupy only 3 linear metres in UCL’s high security storage in Bloomsbury, central London. They were deposited on permanent loan in the Library by his widow, Sonia Orwell in 1960, so that a study centre could be established focussing on Orwell’s life and work for all to use, and the papers could be safe-guarded for posterity. His writings featured in the collection include the first jottings of some of the most well-known words and phrases from the Orwell canon, such as “Two Minutes Hate”, “Newspeak”, and the slogan “War is Peace. Ignorance is strength. Freedom is slavery”.

2.0 Nominator 2.1 Name of nominator (person or organization) Dr Paul Ayris, Director of Library Services, University College London 2.2 Relationship to the nominated documentary heritage Director of UCL Library Services, which houses the George Orwell Archive, and Chair of the Trustees to the George Orwell Archive Trust 2.3 Contact person(s) (to provide information on nomination) Ms Gillian Furlong, Head of UCL Special Collections 2.4 Contact details Name Ms Gillian Furlong Address The George Orwell Archive, c/o UCL Library Special Collections, UCL, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT

Telephone +44 (0) 207 679 2619 Facsimile n/a Email [email protected]

3.0 Identity and description of the documentary heritage 3.1 Name and identification details of the items being nominated If inscribed, the exact title and institution(s) to appear on the certificate should be given

The Orwell Papers, University College London

comprising

1. The Manuscripts, Notebooks and Diaries of George Orwell 1917-1949 The Archive's collection of manuscripts includes literary notebooks, political diaries, domestic diaries, manuscript and typescript material. (Archive reference numbers A-F)

2. The Personal Papers of George Orwell 1903-1950 1

Personal papers contain material such as birth certificates, Orwell's driving licence and family letters, photographs, Orwell's identification card and other papers relating to Spain and Morocco. (Archive reference numbers J, K, L and T) 3.4 History/provenance The manuscripts, notebooks and personalia of George Orwell which are the subject of this nomination were presented in 1960 on permanent loan by his widow, Sonia Orwell. This specific group of Orwell’s own papers was placed within Special Collections as the foundation for creating a centre for Orwell studies.

4.0 Legal information 4.1 Owner of the documentary heritage (name and contact details) Name Address Richard Blair Woodpeckers, Church Road, Long Itchington, Southam, Warwickshire CV47 9PG Telephone Facsimile Email 01926 814465 01926814465 [email protected]

4.2 Custodian of the documentary heritage (name and contact details if different from the owner) Name Address University College Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT London Telephone Facsimile Email +44 (0) 20 7679 2000 +44 (0) 20 7679 7792 [email protected] 7792

4.3 Legal status Provide details of legal and administrative responsibility for the preservation of the documentary heritage University College London (UCL) is an exempt charity in accordance with the Charities Act 2006 (Statutory Instrument 1978 number 453).

The constitution and governance of UCL are defined in and regulated by the Charter and Statutes and UCL’s Regulations for Management . Library Services is the responsibility of the Director of Library Services, currently Dr. Paul Ayris, who reports to the Vice-Provost for Operations, one of the senior officers of UCL Council. As Copyright Officer, the Director also oversees UCLs Copyright and IPR policy frameworks, and advises on copyright/IPR issues for staff and students. UCL's standing committees include the Library Committee, the forum through which Library business is conducted, formally established by Council, UCL's governing body. UCL has legal and administrative responsibility for preserving all the documentary heritage in its care, including the nominated collection. Library Services has developed detailed policies and procedures for safeguarding the material, as laid out in its Preservation Policy (http://www.ucl.ac.uk/library/about/strategies-policies/special-preservation and Digitisation Policy (http://www.ucl.ac.uk/library/about/strategies-policies/dig-policy). All members of the Library staff establishment are required to adhere to these policies and procedures.

4.4 Accessibility Describe how the item(s) / collection may be accessed All original material in the nominated collection is available for supervised viewing and private study on 2 application to Special Collections http://www.ucl.ac.uk/library/special-collections Prospective visitors can make an appointment during normal opening hours of the department, and after signing an undertaking to abide by the Library and Reading Room rules. A detailed online catalogue with links to the digital collection is available http://archives.ucl.ac.uk/ All access restrictions should be explicitly stated below: To widen accessibility and to help protect the most fragile material in the nominated collection, digital images are available online through the public website http://digitool-b.lib.ucl.ac.uk:8881/R/?local base=ORWELL . There are no specific restrictions apart from the physical condition of the materials. All items in the Sections covered by this nomination have been digitised are available online in low- resolution format. Any requests for high resolution images are responded to in accordance with the standard copyright restrictions.

4.5 Copyright status Describe the copyright status of the item(s) / collection Copyright in Orwell’s writings rests with his heirs, currently his adopted son, Richard Blair.

5.0 Assessment against the selection criteria

5.1 Authenticity. The unbroken chain of custody since Orwell’s death in 1950 to the acquisition of the material by UCL can be evidenced through the institutional internal records and through Sonia Orwell’s own papers. Sir Richard Rees was also one of Orwell’s literary executors, and among his papers which are held in Special Collections, is an account of the transfer of the nominated material to UCL Library, describing the events which led to the deposit. A signed Deed of Trust dated 25th January 1961 encapsulates the framework for the custody and maintenance of the material.

5.2 World significance George Orwell was a writer deeply engaged in the national and international political events of his time, from the Spanish Civil War to the Cold War between the West and the Soviet Union, seeking to help our understanding of the causes of social injustices. Through his writing, particularly his essays and journalism, he had a profound influence on human thought in all parts of the world , an influence which remains potent today. It is rare to find serious reviews analysing current events even now, in the first quarter of the 21st century, with no mention of Orwell or his ideas. Terminology associated with his name, such as “Room 101” and “Orwellian” have been in common usage in the English language for many years. His books have been published in over 40 languages, including Swahili, Creole, and Tibetan, and are in continued usage in school and university curricula. Orwell himself had strong views on the way in which language is used for political ends, as described in his highly influential work Politics and the English Language (1946). Examples of this are an integral element of his arguably most globally well-known novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. The manuscripts and personal papers are the only writings in existence in Orwell’s own voice and as such are unique and irreplaceable. The history of humanity would undoubtedly be all the poorer should any harm or loss befall the material.

5.3 Comparative criteria: 1 Time

The period in which Orwell lived and wrote spanned the first half of the 20th century, a time of great cultural, political and social upheaval across the world. Coming from a post-imperial family background himself, his experiences in his early youth shaped his political views and the growth of communism, socialism and fascism were the main political movements with which he was most engaged. His polemical essays in particular refer constantly to the current events of the day, from his political standpoint, which shifted continually throughout his life as he made his name as a commentator and critic. The notebooks and diaries in particular offer the reader direct contemporary commentary on the changing political landscape. 3

2 Place Orwell was at heart an observer and journalist. The places where he lived or worked feature heavily in all his writings, whether in the novels or non-fictional works, as represented in the original diaries, manuscripts and papers. For example, his school years at Eton are written about in Such, Such Were the Joys; the reportage on the mining communities in North West England in the early 1930s is acutely observed in The Road to Wigan Pier; and his experience as an unemployed labourer during the depression he portrayed in Down and Out in Paris and London. His journeys took him from post- colonial India, to the Burmese police force, to war-torn London, all of which appear in his works as profound influences on events he fictionalises or provides commentary on. Perhaps most telling of all is his book Homage to Catalonia, describing from first hand knowledge the soldier’s life on the front line in the 1936-37 Spanish Civil War.

3 People Animal Farm, one of Orwell’s best-selling books is a biting satire on the dangers of human nature allowed to pursue selfish ends at the expense of others less privileged, where real-life contemporary individuals such as Joseph Stalin are thinly disguised. Nineteen Eighty-Four is highly regarded as the most potent warning to come out of the Cold War period in literary form, on the dangers of totalitarianism in all its forms, right or left, and those who embrace the worst aspects.

4 Subject and theme As mentioned above, Orwell was witness to the major political movements of the day, particularly in Britain, where socialism was making great strides to better the working life and conditions of the poorest members of society. His major work of reportage The Road to Wigan Pier (1937) was a commissioned piece, which enabled him to investigate the working conditions of miners in the North of England. The papers include his working notes and diary entries for this publication, as well as original material evidence, such as miners’ payslips and other personal ephemera. The rise of different ideologies in the 20th century, globally, across the full left-right political spectrum, is one of the key aspects of Orwell’s writings. He approached them intellectually in his essays and journalism and fictionalised them in his novels, both of which are reflected in these papers.

5 Form and style Orwell is regarded as one of the greatest writers of the 20th century, indeed of any period in British and world literature, for his pure style and use of the English language. He was a passionate advocate of writing in a clear, unembellished style, a style which is still recognised today in literary and journalistic circles as the benchmark for good writing. He was at the forefront of the development of such genres as polemical journalism and widely influenced the future of literary criticism. He was also a member of the last generation of writers, before the age of the computer, to use paper notebooks and a manual typewriter, so in that sense the evidence afforded by the physical nature of his papers is just as important for critiquing his life and work as is the content. The literary notebook from 1943 is in particular of major significance, containing the lay-out for Nineteen Eighty-Four, and words and phrases Orwell planned to use. 6 Social/ spiritual/ community significance: The material nominated has no particular religious or spiritual significance, but it could be said that various groups of individuals admire and respect his work and legacy for its lasting relevance and importance, for example writers, journalists, and supporters of democratic socialism.

6.0 Contextual information

6.1 Rarity The Orwell collection of manuscripts, diaries and papers are intrinsically unique cultural items. The collection does not exist anywhere else.

6.2 Integrity The collection is complete, as gathered together by Sonia Orwell after Orwell’s death in 1950, for the specific purpose of placing them in a university library for future study.