大象传媒

In the last few years, George Orwell鈥檚 writing and thinking have come to seem ever more timely. But they are also much misrepresented. As 大象传媒 Radio 4 marks the 70th anniversary of his early death, 大象传媒 documentary-maker Phil Tinline takes five words that resonate through Orwell鈥檚 work, and tests out what light they can shed on our problems today.

In the late 1930s, Orwell worried that bourgeois democracy was just fascism鈥檚 more civilised twin. But within a couple of years, his position had swung round to champion democracy as the radical enemy of totalitarianism.

Today, many worry that democracy is in its greatest crisis since the 1930s. Phil asks a leading historian of totalitarianism, Timothy Snyder, if Orwell鈥檚 dramatic switch can help us work out how to tackle it.

Series contributors include: Abduweli Ayup, Nick Cohen, David Dwan, Maurice Glasman, Joanna Kavenna, Robert Jay Lifton, Dorian Lynskey, James Millward, Ferdinand Mount, Jean Seaton, Joanne Smith Finley, Timothy Snyder, Mihrigul Tursun

Presenter/ Producer: Phil Tinline