Orwell's Roses

Through a blend of biography, memoir, and meditative essay, Rebecca Solnit explores the life and legacy of English writer George Orwell in Orwell’s Roses (2021). Her discovery that Orwell planted roses in 1936 at his cottage in Wallington, England, led her to take a deeper dive into his work, highlighting his love of nature, his attachment to beauty, and his commitment to social justice and political transparency. She also examines her own journey as a writer, revealing how Orwell impacted her sense of commitment to the truth and how to express it well. Solnit, who credits her career as an essayist partly to Orwell, is the author of several well-received nonfiction books. Her work The Faraway Nearby was nominated for a National Book Award, and she has received numerous accolades, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, for her writing. Other works by this author include Hope In The Dark, River of Shadows, and A Paradise Built in Hell.

This guide references the 2022 paperback edition of Orwell’s Roses from Penguin Books.

Summary

Solnit begins by talking about the Day of the Dead celebrations that honor ancestors both long past and recently deceased.