George Orwell

Huxley very briefly taught him at school. He met Dos Passos in civil-war Spain. Eliot (who later rejected ‘Animal Farm’ for publication) was a colleague at the BBC during WWll, as were Empson and Anand. Forster (as an invited speaker) enjoyed working with Orwell; Anand and Koestler were friends; Empson recalled him affectionately, though found Orwell’s smell (perhaps related to his tuberculosis) hard to bear. Powell and Spender were regular hospital visitors during Orwell’s final weeks. The apolitical Miller gave Orwell, off to fight fascism in Spain, his warm corduroy jacket: his contribution (he said) to the cause.