Unceasingly elegant and endlessly relevant, the four essays in this collection treat literature as a vital record of our political hypocrisies, social failures, and the noble limits of our ideological ambitions. Studying the literary canon, George Orwell encounters both old classic works and lesser-known literary pieces on his own enthusiastic terms. Henry Miller’s novellas lead him inside the belly of Jonah’s whale, a fantastical refuge in an era of total war. A rigorous examination of Charles Dickens unfolds into a moving picture of nineteenth-century liberalism. A small pamphlet on Shakespeare by Tolstoy provokes a touching invocation of humanism and the excessive vitality of life. A series of uniquely captivating reading experiences, they celebrate Orwell’s engagement with the world of writers and literature.