Orwell's reputation - as political seer, novelist, propagandist and diarist - only grows with the passage of time. He also lived an extraordinary varied life, as a colonial policeman, drop out and Spanish Civil War volunteer. This new and thoroughly-researched life brings out many few facts about the man and sets out to re-evaluate his significance. The human qualities that make the story of Orwell's life so appealing dominate this biography - his integrity, his humility and courage, his odd mixture of radical and conservative attitudes, his struggle to balance the public and private sides of his character
