In 2004, Dione Venables (above), of Finlay Publishers, decided to edit and publish an updated edition of a small memoir, Eric & Us. George Orwell was the pen name for Eric Blair. Originally published in 1974 by Leslie Frewin and written by Orwell’s friend of that period, Jacintha Buddicom (who died in 1994), it focused on his childhood and teenage years. Jacintha was Dione’s first cousin and left her the copyrights of this book in her will.
The celebrated Orwell biographer, Gordon Bowker, in agreeing to review the book, suggested certain clarifications and so, in late 2006, Eric & Us: The Postscript Edition was published. It created a great deal of interest and the publisher made many new friends and acquaintances, not least of whom was Eric’s son Richard Blair. A website, Orwell Direct, was created to promote the book and this led to a number of people asking whether there was an Orwell society, and if not, why not ? Dione determined to create the first such society.
On 27 December 2010, a group gathered for the first informal meeting at Phyllis Court Club, Henley-on-Thames (which Eric had often visited in his youth). The day was hosted by Dione and, of those attending that day, Christopher Edwards agreed to be the society’s first Chair. Richard Blair accepted a role as Patron, Charles Wiggin as Treasurer, Dominic Cavendish took on the editorship of the society’s website, and Dione Venables agreed to be Membership Secretary. Later on, Ron Bateman took on the Secretary role and Chris Organ was appointed to provide legal input.
The formal inaugural meeting was held on 19 April 2011. Later in 2011 Professor Peter Davison was made an honorary life member of the society and Quentin Kopp, whose father Georges Kopp, had been Orwell’s commandant and friend during and after the Spanish Civil War, joined the committee as Events Secretary.
On 28 April 2012, The Society held its first Annual General Meeting at Senate House, London – next to Room 101! Richard Keeble, Professor of Journalism at the University of Lincoln joined the committee and went on to become the society’s second Chair, taking over from Christopher at the 2013 AGM.
Since then the society has gone from strength to strength. A dystopian fiction prize for university students has been awarded annually. The society makes an annual award for young journalists and offers bursaries for school teachers. All of these support the society’s educational objective underpinning the society’s UK charitable status, obtained in 2014.
The society organises a wide variety of trips for members. Some of these are one-offs, for example to celebrate an anniversary of the publication of The Road to Wigan Pier, and some are regular events. Regular events include bi-annual visits to Barnhill on Jura (where Orwell wrote most of Nineteen Eighty-Four.) and Spain to visit sites described in Homage to Catalonia. Each year the society visits Orwell’s grave in Sutton Courtenay on the Sunday nearest to his birthday, 25 June.
The society has this comprehensive website while its public and member only Facebook pages are rapidly expanding databases of Orwellian research and commentary.
