Orwell's Return to England and Changing Views

Orwell's return to England marked a pivotal shift in his literary and political landscape. Upon arriving, he took residence at the O'Shaughnessy home in Greenwich. During this period, Orwell's perspectives on the Spanish Civil War were increasingly viewed as unpopular. Despite this, he expressed admiration for the book "Red Spanish Notebook," co-authored by Juan Ramón Breá and Mary Stanley Low, in a review published in Time and Tide magazine. This review highlighted Orwell's ongoing engagement with the political discourse of the time, even as he faced challenges in getting his own works published. Kingsley Martin, the editor of Time and Tide, rejected two of Orwell's manuscripts, reflecting the broader hesitance among publishers to embrace his viewpoints. The political climate was further complicated by the backlash against Orwell's earlier work, "The Road to Wigan Pier," which was criticized by the communist publication Daily Worker. The paper misrepresented Orwell's comments about the working class, leading him to threaten legal action against them, which ultimately halted the attacks. In this challenging environment, Orwell found a more receptive audience for his ideas through Fredric Warburg of Secker & Warburg, who became a key ally in publishing his works. This period of Orwell's life illustrates the complexities of navigating political ideologies and the publishing landscape, as he sought to articulate his views amidst growing opposition.