Sonia Brownell
Encyclopedia
Sonia Mary Brownell was the second and last wife of writer George Orwell
, whose real name was Eric Arthur Blair. She was also known as Sonia Blair or Sonia Orwell.
(now Woldingham School
). She left at 17 and, after learning French
in Switzerland
, took a secretarial course.
Orwell first met her when she worked as an assistant for Cyril Connolly
, a friend of his from Eton College
, at the literary magazine Horizon
. After the death of his first wife Eileen O'Shaughnessy
, Orwell became desperately lonely, and on 13 October 1949 married Brownell, three months before his death from tuberculosis
.
Although in later life Brownell often went by the name Sonia Orwell, this was never legally her name as 'Orwell' was merely a pen name
that her husband (real name Eric Arthur Blair) had chosen. Some commentators have argued that she helped Orwell through the painful last months of his life and, according to Anthony Powell, apparently cheered Orwell up in his last three months. Others saw her as a mercenary
who was only interested in becoming his literary widow. The writer and academic Frank Kermode
has suggested their marriage was a case of Orwell acquiring, as president of his foundation, the most promising young talent he could find.
Together with David Astor
and Richard Rees, Orwell's literary executor, she established the George Orwell Archive at University College London
, which opened in 1960.
She was fiercely protective of his estate and edited, with Ian Angus, The Collected Essays, Journalism and Letters of George Orwell (4 volumes, Secker & Warburg, London, 1968).
in 1958, and had affairs with several British painter
s, including Lucian Freud
, William Coldstream
and Victor Pasmore
. She also had an affair with the French phenomenological philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty
, whom she described as her true love; she hoped he would leave his wife for her.
She died in London of a brain tumor
in 1980.
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist...
, whose real name was Eric Arthur Blair. She was also known as Sonia Blair or Sonia Orwell.
Background
Brownell was born in Calcutta, as the daughter of a British colonial official. When she was six, she was sent to the Sacred Heart Convent in RoehamptonRoehampton
Roehampton is a district in south-west London, forming the western end of the London Borough of Wandsworth. It lies between the town of Barnes to the north, Putney to the east and Wimbledon Common to the south. The Richmond Park golf courses are west of the neighbourhood, and just south of these is...
(now Woldingham School
Woldingham School
Woldingham School is an all-girls, independent, Roman Catholic, boarding and day school in Woldingham, Surrey, England.-History:The school was founded as the Convent of the Sacred Heart in 1842 in Berrymead, London by the Society of the Sacred Heart...
). She left at 17 and, after learning French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, took a secretarial course.
Orwell first met her when she worked as an assistant for Cyril Connolly
Cyril Connolly
Cyril Vernon Connolly was an English intellectual, literary critic and writer. He was the editor of the influential literary magazine Horizon and wrote Enemies of Promise , which combined literary criticism with an autobiographical exploration of why he failed to become the successful author of...
, a friend of his from Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
, at the literary magazine Horizon
Horizon (magazine)
Horizon: A Review of Literature and Art was an influential literary magazine published in London, between 1940 and 1949. It was edited by Cyril Connolly who gave a platform to a wide range of distinguished and emerging writers....
. After the death of his first wife Eileen O'Shaughnessy
Eileen O'Shaughnessy
Eileen Maud O'Shaughnessy was the first wife of British writer George Orwell.O'Shaughnessy was born in South Shields, County Durham, in the north-east of England, the only daughter of Marie O'Shaughnessy and Lawrence O'Shaughnessy, who was a customs collector...
, Orwell became desperately lonely, and on 13 October 1949 married Brownell, three months before his death from tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
.
Although in later life Brownell often went by the name Sonia Orwell, this was never legally her name as 'Orwell' was merely a pen name
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
that her husband (real name Eric Arthur Blair) had chosen. Some commentators have argued that she helped Orwell through the painful last months of his life and, according to Anthony Powell, apparently cheered Orwell up in his last three months. Others saw her as a mercenary
Mercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
who was only interested in becoming his literary widow. The writer and academic Frank Kermode
Frank Kermode
Sir John Frank Kermode was a highly regarded British literary critic best known for his seminal critical work The Sense of an Ending: Studies in the Theory of Fiction, published in 1967 ....
has suggested their marriage was a case of Orwell acquiring, as president of his foundation, the most promising young talent he could find.
Together with David Astor
David Astor
Francis David Langhorne Astor CH was an English newspaper publisher and member of the Astor family.-Early life and career:...
and Richard Rees, Orwell's literary executor, she established the George Orwell Archive at University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
, which opened in 1960.
She was fiercely protective of his estate and edited, with Ian Angus, The Collected Essays, Journalism and Letters of George Orwell (4 volumes, Secker & Warburg, London, 1968).
After Orwell
Brownell married Michael Pitt-RiversMichael Pitt-Rivers
Major Michael Augustus Lane-Fox Pitt-Rivers was a West Country landowner who gained notoriety in Britain in the 1950s when he was put on trial charged with buggery...
in 1958, and had affairs with several British painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
s, including Lucian Freud
Lucian Freud
Lucian Michael Freud, OM, CH was a British painter. Known chiefly for his thickly impasted portrait and figure paintings, he was widely considered the pre-eminent British artist of his time...
, William Coldstream
William Coldstream
Sir William Menzies Coldstream was a British realist painter and a long standing art teacher.-Biography:...
and Victor Pasmore
Victor Pasmore
Edwin John Victor Pasmore was a British artist and architect. He pioneered the development of abstract art in Britain in the 1940s and 1950s.-Biography:...
. She also had an affair with the French phenomenological philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty
Maurice Merleau-Ponty
Maurice Merleau-Ponty was a French phenomenological philosopher, strongly influenced by Karl Marx, Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger in addition to being closely associated with Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir...
, whom she described as her true love; she hoped he would leave his wife for her.
She died in London of a brain tumor
Brain tumor
A brain tumor is an intracranial solid neoplasm, a tumor within the brain or the central spinal canal.Brain tumors include all tumors inside the cranium or in the central spinal canal...
in 1980.