305. Orwell: Dark Secrets, The CIA, & His Forgotten Failures (Part 4)

Empire: World History

Why was Orwell’s wife, Eileen, written out of his story when she co-wrote Animal Farm? How did the CIA twist the novel into anti-communist propaganda? As a writer who was so ahead of his time on imperialism and totalitarianism, why did Orwell fail when it came to the patriarchy?

Anita and William are joined by Anna Funder, author of Wifedom: Mrs Orwell’s Invisible Life, to discuss the women who are missing from Orwell’s biography despite being crucial to his development as a writer.

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Producer: Anouska Lewis

Executive Producer: Dom Johnson


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2025-11-05 60 min

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