George Orwell Always in the News 24

In response to ‘Blake’s townhouse could be open to all‘ (Guardian 8 September 2026)

What did George Orwell say about William Blake?

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‘Blake was not a politician, but there is more understanding of the nature of capitalist society in a poem like ‘I wander through each charter’d street’ than in three-quarters of Socialist literature.’ (March 1940)

The Nonsuch one-volume edition of William Blake appeared in 1941

‘William Blake, for instance, was a lunatic in my opinion.’ (March 1944)

‘… [the game of cricket’s] two bitterest enemies of all are “Beachcomber” and “Timothy Shy,” who see in it an English institution which they feel it their duty to belittle, along with Wordsworth, William Blake, and Parliamentary government.’ (April 1944)

‘I want to correct an error that I made in this column last week. It seems that there is a plaque to William Blake, and that it is somewhere near St. George’s church in Lambeth. I had looked for one in that area and had failed to find it. My apologies to the L.C.C.’ (January 1945)

William Blake’s Metrical Preface to Milton, known as ‘Jerusalem’ when set to music by Herbert Parry, was performed at the 2026 Last Night of the Proms on September 12th 2026.