Now the treasure trove that is the vast archive of correspondence and contracts amassed by Orwell's original publisher, Victor Gollancz, could be thrown to the wind in what has been described as an act of "cultural vandalism".
George Orwell's archives provide invaluable insight into one of the most influential British writers of the 20th century, shedding light on how he produced his most memorable books, his sensitivity to criticism and his fears that legal threats could destroy creativity his. Now the treasure trove, which is the vast archive of correspondence and contracts amassed by Orwell's original publisher, Victor Gollancz, could be thrown to the wind in what has been described as an act of "cultural vandalism", the Guardian reported.
The key correspondence of the 1984 author and Observer correspondent is being offered for sale on the open market following the decision by the publisher's parent company to sell the archive due to the warehouse closing in 2018.
Richard Blair, 80, whose father Eric Blair wrote under the pen name George Orwell, is dismayed by the loss: "It's sad...Once Gollancz's materials are acquired by private collectors, they can disappear forever into the ether."
For £75,000, Peter Harrington, a leading antiquarian bookseller, is currently offering Gollancz papers relating to Orwell's second novel The Clergyman's Daughter. These include his original contract, a letter containing his corrections, and a 1934 report by Gerald Gould - then the fiction editor of the Observer and a reader of Gollancz's manuscripts - stating that the novel should be published.
Harington is also selling £50,000 letters relating to Orwell's third novel, Keep the Aspidistra Flying, which show that libel concerns led to key changes to the final text. In 1936, alarmed by Gollancz's desired changes, Orwell wrote that he would nevertheless do everything he could to fulfil his publisher's demands - "except to ruin the book completely".
Another prominent bookseller - Jonkers Rare Books - is selling £35,000 documents relating to 'The Road to Wigan Pier', Orwell's classic study of industrial poverty in northern England. Among them is a long letter to Gollancz, in which he denies accusations that he is a middle-class snob, asks him to intervene and threatens legal action against his critics.
Documents related to The Clergyman's Daughter include a letter from Orwell specifying that none of the characters could be related to living people. Correspondence on Animal Farm records Gollancz's famous rejection of the classic anti-totalitarian fable, first published in 1945, due to the pro-Soviet political climate created by World War II. Orwell wrote: "I must tell you that I think it is completely unacceptable from a political point of view (it is anti-Stalinist)." Gollancz initially resisted the idea that he was a staunch supporter of the Stalinist line, but after reading the manuscript, on April 4, 1944, he wrote, “You were right and I was wrong. I'm very sorry. I returned the manuscript.'
Viktor Gollancz founded one of the most influential publishing houses of the 20th century. The company was acquired by the Orion Group, which became part of Hachette, owned by the French multinational company Lagardère.
Rick Gekoski, a leading antiquarian, was asked to release the archive, which included correspondence with Kingsley Amis and Daphne du Maurier, as well as other Gollancz authors. Last week he dismissed criticism of the cull as "wrong" and said: "The whole thing was sanctioned by Malcolm Edwards, director of Orion Publishing, and sold at the behest of the board. In Gekoski's 2021 book, Guarded by Dragons, he writes, "No one aboard the Orion cared where they were going or to whom."
He remembers a warehouse full of tens of thousands of volumes, as well as dozens of file cabinets - "rusty and dusty, stuffed with all the production, editorial and rights of Gollancz's publishing houses, the vast majority of which had not been opened for perhaps 50 years".
After trying in vain to sell the entire archive to various institutions for around £1 million, it was distributed among dozens of dealers, private collectors and libraries: "All the board asked us was to get rid of as much material as possible ... and the rest ... had to be thrown away."
Jean Seaton, director of the Orwell Foundation, said: “The fact that no one has opened these archive folders for 50 years is because they were idiots and did not understand the value of the archive. Why didn't their governing board consult with experts and historians who would understand that maybe they should get some revenue from it, but would understand its true public value? Instead, they dispersed a national archive.
Orwell biographer DJ Taylor recalls that when he and the Orwell Foundation discovered that the Gollancz archive was for sale, they tried to raise money: “We couldn't because these were very valuable documents. Of course, we were worried that the archive would just be sold piecemeal."
He adds that the publisher has always handled its "incredibly valuable" archive in an "amateur" way. He remembers the lax security when he worked on his first Orwell book 23 years ago. “I remember walking into the office one time and they were like, ‘Oh, where did you go? A box containing Orwell's letters to Viktor Gollancz had simply disappeared somewhere in the building,” he says.
Liz Thomson, a bookseller of 35 years, described the sale as "cultural vandalism": "What hope for future biographers and historians?"
She singled out Gollancz's correspondence on Animal Farm - sold by Jonkers for £100,000 - which included Orwell's 1944 letter in which he described it as "a little tale ... with political significance", and publisher's refusal. "Golantz refused to publish the novel because he feared it would upset Anglo-Soviet relations... The archive is priceless," says Thomson.
The publisher's disposal contrasted with Richard Blair's efforts to maintain an archive of the writer's correspondence. In 2021, he bought 50 letters so he could donate them to the Orwell Archive at University College London, fearing they would otherwise go on the market and "never be seen again".
Pom Harrington, son of Harrington's founder, said: “Of course, it would be great if institutions took the initiative to acquire these unique materials. It's not reasonable for them to expect that it will be given to them.'' this process.
Even something as monumental as this Orwellian archive might simply have been thrown away if it weren't for the market.” | BGNES
