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My father’s ideal was to make political writing
into an art
richard blair - george orwell's
son - post-gazette.com - 2017
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This life we live nowadays
It's not life, it's
stagnation death-in-life
Look at all these bloody houses and the
meaningless people inside them
Sometimes I think we're all corpses
Just rotting upright
keep the aspidistra
flying - 1936
.
Nella vita reale è sempre
l'incudine a rompere il martello
in
real life it is always the anvil that breaks the hammer
.
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if you want a picture of the future
imagine a boot stamping
on a human face - for ever
1984
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Man is the only real enemy we have
Remove Man from the scene, and the
root cause
of hunger and overwork is abolished for ever
animal farm . cap 1
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Perhaps
a lunatic was simply a minority of one
...
ci incontreremo là
dove non c'è tenebra
o' brien in sogno a winston smith -
1984
...
The people will believe what the media
tells them they believe
1984
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se il pensiero
distorce il linguaggio
anche il linguaggio
è in grado di distorcere
il pensiero
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Forse non c’è tanto bisogno
e quindi desiderio di essere amati
quanto di essere capiti
perhaps one did not want to be
loved so much as to be understood
1984
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Un popolo che elegge
corrotti impostori ladri e traditori
non è vittima
È complice
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Good Prose
should be
transparent like a window pane
The great enemy of clear language is insincerity
When there is a gap
between one's real
and one's declared aims
one turns
instinctively to long words
and exhausted idioms
like a cuttlefish
squirting out ink
Per vedere
cosa c'è sotto il proprio naso
occorre un grande sforzo
to see what is in front of one's nose needs a constant struggle
tribune - 22 marzo 1946 - in front of your nose
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perhaps
a man really dies when his
brain stops
when he loses the power to take in a new idea
...
And yet all the while there’s that peculiar
intensity, the power of longing for things
as you can’t long when you’re grown up
and the feeling that time stretches out
and out in front of you and that whatever
you’re doing you could go on for ever
coming up for air
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nothing
will ever teach these people
that the other 99 percent
of the population exist
diaries
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Non utilizzare mai un'espressione straniera, un
termine scientifico o una parola difficile se puoi trovare l'equivalente nel
linguaggio quotidiano
never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word or
a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent |
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The truth it is felt becomes untruth
when your enemy utters it
Recently I noticed that the very people
who swallowed any and every horror story
about the Japanese in Nanking in 1937
refused to believe exactly the same stories
about Hong
Kong in 1942
essays
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It is a mysterious thing the loss of faith
as mysterious as faith itself
Like faith it is ultimately not rooted in logic
it is a change in the climate of the mind
a clergyman's daughter - pag 249 - 1935
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I libri migliori
sono proprio quelli che
dicono
quel che già sappiamo
the best books are those that tell you
what you know already
1984
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But it is a corrupting thing
to live one's
real life in secret
One should live with the stream of life
not against it
burmese days 1934
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We are all drowning in filth. When I talk to anyone or
read the writings of anyone who has any axe to grind, I feel that
intellectual honesty and balanced judgement have simply disappeared from the
face of the earth … Everyone is dishonest, and everyone is utterly heartless
towards people who are outside the immediate range of his own interests.
What is most striking of all is the way sympathy can be turned on and off
like a tap according to political expediency.
1942 diaries
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Un bel giorno il partito avrebbe proclamato che
due più due fa cinque, e voi avreste dovuto crederci.
Era inevitabile che prima o poi succedesse, era
nella logica stessa delle premesse su cui si basava il Partito. La visione
del mondo che lo informava negava, tacitamente, non solo la validità
dell'esperienza ma l'esistenza stessa della realtà esterna. Il senso
comune costituiva l'eresia delle eresie. Ma la cosa terribile non era
tanto il fatto che vi avrebbero uccisi che l'aveste pensata diversamente ma che
potevano aver ragione loro. In fin dei conti come facciamo a sapere che due più
due fa quattro ?
O che la forza di gravità esiste davvero ? O che
il passato è immutabile ?
Che cosa succede, se il passato e il mondo
esterno esistono solo nella vostra mente e la vostra mente è sotto controllo ?
1984
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L'esperienza mi aveva insegnato molto
presto
che possiamo commettere degli errori
indipendentemente dalla nostra volontà
e poco tempo dopo imparai anche
che
possiamo commettere degli errori
senza neanche capire cosa abbiamo fatto
e perché siano errori
e tali, tali erano le gioie - romanzi e saggi
Il giornalismo
è scrivere ciò che qualcun altro non
vuole che sia scritto
Tutto il resto sono pubbliche
relazioni
journalism is printing what
someone else does not want printed
everything else is public relations
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Di solito a questo mondo
se si riscuote un po' di stima
è per qualche cosa che non si merita
affatto
giorni in birmania
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the further a society drifts from the
truth
the more it will hate those that speak it
quanto più una società si allontana dalla verità
tanto più odierà quelli che la dicono
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A plongeur is a slave, and a wasted slave, doing stupid
and largely unnecessary work. He is kept at work, ultimately, because of a vague
feeling that he would be dangerous if he had leisure. And educated people, who
should be on his side, acquiesce in the process, because they know nothing about
him and consequently are afraid of him.
down and out
in paris and london
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Quanto più si è consapevoli
delle proprie inclinazioni politiche
tanto maggiore sarà la possibilità
di agire politicamente
senza sacrificare la propria integrità estetica
e intellettuale
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È il destino inevitabile del
sentimentale
Tutte le sue opinioni mutano
e si trasformano
in quelle opposte
al primo tocco
della realtà
the road to wigan pier
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È solo quando si incontra qualcuno di cultura
ed educazione differenti dalle
nostre
che si comincia a scoprire quali siano realmente
le nostre opinioni
it is only when you meet someone of a different culture from yourself
that you begin to realize what your own beliefs really are
part two
-
the road to wigan pier
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Political language - and with variations
this is true of all political parties, from Conservatives to Anarchists
- is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable and
to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind .
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may
20, 1937 - George
Orwell was shot in the throat
while fighting for the Republican side in Spain
I have the most
evil memories of Spain
but I have very few bad memories of Spaniards
...
However, the sentry missed him
In this war everyone always did
miss
everyone else, when it was
humanly possible
from
homage
to catalonia
- fb/go
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L'oppressione è il male della gleba
essendo difatti
il lato oscuro della pressione
Tutti sono uguali
ma c'è chi è più uguale di altri
Come il lato scaleno di un
triangolo equilatero
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>
A NICE CUP OF TEA
< - EVENING STANDARD 12 JANUARY 1946
IF YOU LOOK UP 'TEA' IN THE FIRST
COOKERY BOOK THAT COMES TO HAND YOU WILL PROBABLY FIND THAT IT IS
UNMENTIONED; OR AT MOST YOU WILL FIND A FEW LINES OF SKETCHY INSTRUCTIONS
WHICH GIVE NO RULING ON SEVERAL OF THE MOST IMPORTANT POINTS.
THIS IS
CURIOUS, NOT ONLY BECAUSE TEA IS ONE OF THE MAIN STAYS OF CIVILIZATION IN
THIS COUNTRY, AS WELL AS IN EIRE, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND, BUT BECAUSE THE
BEST MANNER OF MAKING IT IS THE SUBJECT OF VIOLENT DISPUTES.
WHEN I LOOK
THROUGH MY OWN RECIPE FOR THE PERFECT CUP OF TEA, I FIND NO FEWER THAN
ELEVEN OUTSTANDING POINTS. ON PERHAPS TWO OF THEM THERE WOULD BE PRETTY
GENERAL AGREEMENT, BUT AT LEAST FOUR OTHERS ARE ACUTELY CONTROVERSIAL.
HERE ARE MY OWN ELEVEN RULES, EVERY ONE OF WHICH I REGARD AS GOLDEN :
- FIRST OF ALL
ONE SHOULD USE
INDIAN OR CEYLONESE TEA. CHINA TEA HAS VIRTUES WHICH ARE NOT TO
BE DESPISED NOWADAYS - IT IS ECONOMICAL, AND ONE CAN DRINK IT WITHOUT MILK -
BUT THERE IS NOT MUCH STIMULATION IN IT. ONE DOES NOT FEEL
WISER, BRAVER OR MORE OPTIMISTIC AFTER DRINKING IT. ANYONE WHO
HAS USED THAT COMFORTING PHRASE 'A NICE CUP OF TEA' INVARIABLY MEANS INDIAN
TEA.
- SECONDLY
TEA SHOULD BE MADE
IN SMALL QUANTITIES - THAT IS, IN A TEAPOT. TEA OUT OF AN URN IS
ALWAYS TASTELESS, WHILE ARMY TEA, MADE IN A CAULDRON, TASTES OF GREASE AND
WHITEWASH. THE TEAPOT SHOULD BE MADE OF CHINA OR EARTHENWARE.
SILVER OR BRITANNIAWARE TEAPOTS PRODUCE INFERIOR TEA AND ENAMEL POTS ARE
WORSE; THOUGH CURIOUSLY ENOUGH A PEWTER TEAPOT - A RARITY NOWADAYS - IS NOT
SO BAD.
- THIRDLY
THE POT SHOULD BE
WARMED BEFOREHAND. THIS IS BETTER DONE BY PLACING IT ON THE HOB
THAN BY THE USUAL METHOD OF SWILLING IT OUT WITH HOT WATER.
- FOURTHLY
THE TEA SHOULD BE STRONG.
FOR A POT HOLDING A QUART, IF YOU ARE GOING TO FILL IT NEARLY TO THE BRIM,
SIX HEAPED TEASPOONS WOULD BE ABOUT RIGHT. IN A TIME OF
RATIONING, THIS IS NOT AN IDEA THAT CAN BE REALIZED ON EVERY DAY OF THE
WEEK, BUT I MAINTAIN THAT ONE STRONG CUP OF TEA IS BETTER THAN TWENTY WEAK
ONES. ALL TRUE TEA LOVERS NOT ONLY LIKE THEIR TEA STRONG, BUT
LIKE IT A LITTLE STRONGER WITH EACH YEAR THAT PASSES - A FACT WHICH IS
RECOGNIZED IN THE EXTRA RATION ISSUED TO OLD-AGE PENSIONERS.
- FIFTHLY
THE TEA SHOULD BE PUT
STRAIGHT INTO THE POT. NO STRAINERS, MUSLIN BAGS OR OTHER DEVICES TO
IMPRISON THE TEA. IN SOME COUNTRIES TEAPOTS ARE FITTED WITH LITTLE DANGLING
BASKETS UNDER THE SPOUT TO CATCH THE STRAY LEAVES, WHICH ARE SUPPOSED TO BE
HARMFUL. ACTUALLY ONE CAN SWALLOW TEA-LEAVES IN CONSIDERABLE
QUANTITIES WITHOUT ILL EFFECT AND IF THE TEA IS NOT LOOSE IN THE POT IT
NEVER INFUSES PROPERLY.
- SIXTHLY
ONE SHOULD TAKE THE TEAPOT TO THE KETTLE AND NOT THE OTHER WAY ABOUT.
THE WATER SHOULD BE ACTUALLY BOILING AT THE MOMENT OF IMPACT, WHICH MEANS
THAT ONE SHOULD KEEP IT ON THE FLAME WHILE ONE POURS. SOME
PEOPLE ADD THAT ONE SHOULD ONLY USE WATER THAT HAS BEEN FRESHLY BROUGHT TO
THE BOIL, BUT I HAVE NEVER NOTICED THAT IT MAKES ANY DIFFERENCE.
- SEVENTHLY
AFTER MAKING THE TEA, ONE
SHOULD STIR IT, OR BETTER, GIVE THE POT A GOOD SHAKE, AFTERWARDS ALLOWING
THE LEAVES TO SETTLE.
- EIGHTHLY
ONE SHOULD DRINK OUT OF A GOOD BREAKFAST CUP - THAT IS, THE CYLINDRICAL TYPE
OF CUP, NOT THE FLAT, SHALLOW TYPE. THE BREAKFAST CUP HOLDS MORE, AND WITH
THE OTHER KIND ONE'S TEA IS ALWAYS HALF COLD BEFORE ONE HAS WELL STARTED ON
IT.
- NINTHLY
ONE SHOULD POUR THE
CREAM OFF THE MILK BEFORE USING IT FOR TEA. MILK THAT IS TOO
CREAMY ALWAYS GIVES TEA A SICKLY TASTE.
-
TENTHLY
ONE SHOULD POUR TEA INTO THE CUP FIRST. THIS
IS ONE OF THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL POINTS OF ALL; INDEED IN EVERY FAMILY IN
BRITAIN THERE ARE PROBABLY TWO SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT ON THE SUBJECT.
THE MILK-FIRST SCHOOL CAN BRING FORWARD SOME FAIRLY STRONG ARGUMENTS, BUT I
MAINTAIN THAT MY OWN ARGUMENT IS UNANSWERABLE. THIS IS THAT, BY
PUTTING THE TEA IN FIRST AND STIRRING AS ONE POURS, ONE CAN EXACTLY REGULATE
THE AMOUNT OF MILK WHEREAS ONE IS LIABLE TO PUT IN TOO MUCH MILK IF ONE DOES
IT THE OTHER WAY ROUND.
- LASTLY
TEA - UNLESS ONE IS DRINKING IT IN THE RUSSIAN STYLE - SHOULD BE DRUNK
WITHOUT SUGAR. I KNOW VERY WELL THAT I AM IN A MINORITY HERE.
BUT STILL, HOW CAN YOU CALL YOURSELF A TRUE TEALOVER IF YOU DESTROY THE
FLAVOUR OF YOUR TEA BY PUTTING SUGAR IN IT ? IT WOULD BE EQUALLY
REASONABLE TO PUT IN PEPPER OR SALT. TEA IS MEANT TO BE BITTER,
JUST AS BEER IS MEANT TO BE BITTER. IF YOU SWEETEN IT, YOU ARE NO LONGER
TASTING THE TEA, YOU ARE MERELY TASTING THE SUGAR; YOU COULD MAKE A VERY
SIMILAR DRINK BY DISSOLVING SUGAR IN PLAIN HOT WATER.
SOME PEOPLE
WOULD ANSWER THAT THEY DON'T LIKE TEA IN ITSELF, THAT THEY ONLY DRINK IT IN
ORDER TO BE WARMED AND STIMULATED, AND THEY NEED SUGAR TO TAKE THE TASTE
AWAY. TO THOSE MISGUIDED PEOPLE I WOULD SAY: TRY DRINKING TEA WITHOUT SUGAR
FOR, SAY, A FORTNIGHT AND IT IS VERY UNLIKELY THAT YOU WILL EVER WANT TO
RUIN YOUR TEA BY SWEETENING IT AGAIN.
THESE ARE NOT THE ONLY
CONTROVERSIAL POINTS TO ARISE IN CONNEXION WITH TEA DRINKING, BUT THEY ARE
SUFFICIENT TO SHOW HOW SUBTILIZED THE WHOLE BUSINESS HAS BECOME. THERE IS
ALSO THE MYSTERIOUS SOCIAL ETIQUETTE SURROUNDING THE TEAPOT - WHY IS IT
CONSIDERED VULGAR TO DRINK OUT OF YOUR SAUCER, FOR INSTANCE ? - AND MUCH
MIGHT BE WRITTEN ABOUT THE SUBSIDIARY USES OF TEALEAVES, SUCH AS TELLING
FORTUNES, PREDICTING THE ARRIVAL OF VISITORS, FEEDING RABBITS, HEALING BURNS
AND SWEEPING THE CARPET. IT IS WORTH PAYING ATTENTION TO SUCH
DETAILS AS WARMING THE POT AND USING WATER THAT IS REALLY BOILING, SO AS TO
MAKE QUITE SURE OF WRINGING OUT OF ONE'S RATION THE TWENTY GOOD, STRONG CUPS
OF THAT TWO OUNCES, PROPERLY HANDLED, OUGHT TO REPRESENT.
the
collected essays - journalism and letters - volume 3 - 1943-45
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the Seven Commandments
1 - Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy
2 - Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend
3 - No animal
shall wear clothes
4 - No animal shall sleep in a bed
5 - No animal
shall drink alcohol
6 - No animal shall kill any other animal
7 - All
animals are equal
animal farm - 1945
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Nel complesso
gli esseri umani vogliono essere buoni
ma non troppo buoni e non per tutto il tempo
on the whole human beings want to be good
-
but not too good - and not quite all the time
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artist
justin bateman - 2023
.
A cinquant'anni
ogni uomo ha la faccia
che
si merita
at 50 everyone has the face he
deserves
from notebooks of george
orwell
.
citazione simile a quella di albert
camus in 'the fall_la chute' 1956
after a certain age every man is
responsible for his face
après un certain âge tout homme est responsable
de son visage
answers.yahoo.com - bartleby.com
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Un fatto è disapprovare le idee politiche di uno scrittore
altra cosa,
non necessariamente incompatibile con la prima
è disapprovare ' lui '
perché ti costringe a pensare
to dislike a writer's politics is one thing
to
dislike him because he forces you to think is another, not necessarily
incompatible with the first
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Every generation imagines itself to be more
intelligent
than the one that went before it
and wiser than the one
that comes after it
ogni generazione si
reputa più intelligente di quella che la ha preceduta, e più saggia di
quella che verrà
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Tutto si confondeva in
una nebbia
Il passato era cancellato, la cancellatura era stata
dimenticata
e la menzogna era diventata verità
1984
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