George Orwell’s son has expressed concern over some of his late father’s work.
Richard Blair, 80, was adopted by Orwell and his wife after they struggled to conceive naturally. The British writer is widely considered one of the most influential authors of the 20th century, with 1984 and Animal Farm having become cultural touchstones around the world.
But Blair, who describes himself as a “left-wing Conservative” has not followed in the footsteps of his revolutionary socialist father. He admitted that some of the writer’s work makes him “uncomfortable”.
“He was very black and white about categorising people,” Blair told The Guardian. “The sandal-wearing, bearded liberal-lefties with sweaters, he didn’t like them at all. And shopkeepers were usually right-wing types.”
Asked if he thought his father was a snob, Blair did not have a straightforward answer.
“I don’t know,” he said. “The problem was he spoke with an Old Etonian accent, so that didn’t help, did it? When he went to Spain and was introduced to John McNair, the Tynesider, who was with the Independent Labour party, McNair said, ‘Christ, who’s this bloody tosser?’
“Then he found out he’d written Down and Out in Paris and London and Burmese Days and realised who he was. And he goes: ‘Oh, OK!’”
Orwell has received some backlash over the years for comments about Jewish people in his book Down and Out in Paris and London. “Was he antisemitic?” Blair asked. “From Down and Out in Paris and London, you might say that he was, but I think he was commenting about what other people think of Jews. ‘This is not what I think about a Jew, it is what other people think about Jews and I’m just recording it.’”
He added: “I’m not absolutely certain that he disliked Jews any more than he disliked anybody else. He was a bit anti-Scots for a while. But, towards the end, he was actually quite pro‑Scots.
“Had he lived for another 20 years, I think there is no question that he would have revised his thoughts on a lot of what he had written, because he was open to criticism and if he was wrong he would say so.”
Orwell’s views on women were another point of controversy, with Blair admitting that his father could come across as predatory.
“I would like to think his attitude towards women would have changed, because it’s a bit stark,” he said.
Asked if he thought Orwell was misogynistic, Blair replied: “I think perhaps he was. He did have a roving eye. He pushed the envelope.”
Blair added: “He had an open mind and he was able to think beyond the norms of everyday living and behaviour.” That said, when Blair was asked to consider whether his father’s views would be accepted today, he responded: “Probably not.”
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