Sonia Orwell | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Sonia Mary Brownell 25 August 1918 |
| Died | 11 December 1980 (aged 62) London, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Archivist |
| Known for | The Orwell Archive |
| Spouses | |
| Relatives | Richard Blair (adoptive stepson) |
Sonia Mary Brownell (25 August 1918 – 11 December 1980), better known as Sonia Orwell, was the second wife of writer George Orwell. Sonia is believed to be the model for Julia, the heroine of Nineteen Eighty-Four.[1][2]
Sonia worked with the Information Research Department (IRD), a propaganda department of the British Foreign Office, which helped to increase the international fame of Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four. With her support, the IRD was able to translate Animal Farm into over 16 languages,[3] and for British embassies to disseminate the book in over 14 countries for propaganda purposes.[4] Soon after her husband's death, Sonia sold the film rights to Animal Farm to a pair of movie executives, unaware they were agents of the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). This deal resulted in the creation of the propaganda film Animal Farm (1954), which became the first feature length animated film made in Britain.[5]
- ^ "Dedicated follower of passions". The Guardian. 19 May 2002.
- ^ "The Widow Orwell". The New York Times. 15 June 2003.
- ^ Rubin, Andrew N. (2012). Archives of Authority: Empire, Culture and the Cold War. Woodstock: Princeton University Press. p. 40.
- ^ Mitter, Rana (2005). Across the Block: Cold War Cultural and Social History. Taylor & Francis e-library: Frank and Cass Company Limited. p. 117.
- ^ Senn, Samantha (2015). "All Propaganda is Dangerous, but Some are More Dangerous than Others: George Orwell and the Use of Literature as Propaganda". Journal of Strategic Security. 8 (3): 149–161. doi:10.5038/1944-0472.8.3S.1483. ISSN 1944-0464. JSTOR 26465253. S2CID 145306291.