When George Orwell returned from Spain in the late 1930s, after having fought in the civil war there, he was deeply shocked by what he had witnessed. Emotionally and intellectually, he drastically revised his thinking — about the world, about humanity and pacifism.
Perhaps, though, he was even more confused by the state his country was in: everything was like before. Nothing had changed. The European continent slipped into the abyss, but it did not seem to affect the British, Orwell wr...
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Already a member? Login hereCaroline de Gruyter is a columnist and Europe correspondent for the Dutch newspaper NRC. She is also a columnist for Foreign Policy and De Standaard. This piece was adapted from a recent column in De Standaard.
Caroline de Gruyter is a columnist and Europe correspondent for the Dutch newspaper NRC. She is also a columnist for Foreign Policy and De Standaard. This piece was adapted from a recent column in De Standaard.