George Orwell, “Freedom of the Press” (unpublished preface to Animal Farm), published by Bernard Crick, New York Times Magazine, 8 October 1972: 12, 13, 72, 74, 76
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In this preface to Animal Farm , Orwell turns his attention to societies that are relatively free from state controls, unlike the totalitarian monster he was satirizing. "The sinister fact about literary censorship in England," he writes, "is that it is largely voluntary. Unpopular ideas can be silenced, and inconvenient facts kept dark, without any need for any official ban." He dosn't explore the reasons in any depth (but is important to know), merely noting the control of the press by "wealthy men who have every motive to be dishonest on certain important topics," reinforced by the "general tacit agreement," instilled by a good education, "that `it wouldn't do' to mention that particular fact." As a result, "Anyone who challenges the prevailing orthodoxy finds himself silenced with surprising effectiveness."
As if to illustrate his words, this preface remained unpublished for 30 years.
If you’ve read George Orwell’s Animal Farm which he wrote in the mid-1940s, it was a satire on the Soviet Union, a totalitarian state. It was a big hit. Everybody loved it. Turns out he wrote this introduction to Animal Farm which was suppressed. It only appeared 30 years later. Someone had found it in his papers. The introduction to Animal Farm was about "Literary Censorship in England" and what it says is that obviously this book is ridiculing the Soviet Union and its totalitarian structure. But he said England is not all that different. We don’t have the KGB on our neck, but the end result comes out pretty much the same. People who have independent ideas or who think the wrong kind of thoughts are cut out
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Comments 5
My vote is say whatever you want and if someone doesn't like it they can say something in response.
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As if to illustrate his words, this preface remained unpublished for 30 years.
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