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Richard Blair (patron)

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Richard Blair
Born
Richard Horatio Blair

May 1944
NationalityBritish
Occupation(s)Trustee and Patron
SpouseEleanor
ChildrenTwo Sons
Parent(s)George Orwell
Eileen Blair

Richard Horatio Blair (born May 1944) is the adopted son of English author George Orwell. [1]

Life and Works

Blair was adopted by Eileen[2] and Eric Blair (George Orwell)[3], and after their deaths, lived with Avril Dunn (née Blair, Orwell's sister, his legal guardian) and Bill Dunn.[4] Blair went to Loretto School from 1953 to 1960, attended agricultural colleges in Chippenham and Aberdeen, before joining Massey Ferguson in 1975 to 1986 where he worked in sales and marketing.[5] Blair married Eleanor in 1964 and together they raised two sons.[6] Blair’s step-mother Sonia died in 1980, passing the income from the Orwell estate on to him (ibid.). In 1985, Blair became the proprietor of Loch Craignish (self-catering) Cottages, which he ran until 2008.

Having sold his business in 2008, Blair dedicated his time to preserving the memory of his father, George Orwell, which he continues today.[7] At the beginning of 2009, Blair published his first account of his life with his father[8] and spoke publicly for the first time about his childhood in an interview with DJ Taylor at the Sunday Times Oxford Literary Festival.[9] In the following year, he worked with a group of Orwell academics and enthusiasts, who inspired the founding of The Orwell Society, of which he is both patron and trustee.[10] Two years later, Blair was elected Trustee of The Orwell Foundation and Orwell Youth Prize, of which he is a patron.[11]

From 2012 to the present day, Blair increased his public visibility by performing ceremonial roles such as unveiling plaques,[12][13] presenting literary prizes,[14] opening international events,[15][16] making guest appearances on radio and television,[17][18] and dedicating a statue to his father installed outside Broadcasting House.[19] Blair was also engaged in more hands-on roles by hosting lectures through both The Orwell Society and The Orwell Foundation,[20][21] publishing articles,[22] sponsoring the Orwell Prize, and conducting annual guided excursions to his childhood house at Barnhill, where his father wrote Nineteen Eighty-Four.[23] In 2017, The Orwell Society initiated a series of engagements with the local community in Wigan to increase awareness of Orwell's motives in writing The Road to Wigan Pier 80 years after the book was first published.[24] Blair participated as one of the narrators in Beyond Wigan Pier, an opera first performed in 2018[25] aimed at attracting funding for students to attend Music & Drama school and bringing the community closer to his father, a sentiment that persists today.[26]

References

  1. ^ Davison, Peter (2007). The Lost Orwell. Timewell Press. p. 244. ISBN 978-1857252149.
  2. ^ Packer, George. "Orwell and Son". The New Yorker.
  3. ^ Wynne Jones, Ros (22 March 2017). "George Orwell's adopted son reveals how his dad cared for him while he wrote classic 1984". Mirror. Mirror Newspaper. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  4. ^ Richard Blair (27 October 2011). "Richard Blair on Life With My Aunt Avril". The Orwell Society - Articles. Finlay Publisher January 2009. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  5. ^ Richard Blair, 2009 “Op. Cit.”
  6. ^ Blair, Richard. "Richard Horatio Blair". OmaVerum. OmaVerum. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  7. ^ ""The world is moving toward George Orwell:" Richard Blair - The son of the author of '1984' reflects on the legacy of his father during a visit to Spain". El Pais - News. 22 February 2017. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  8. ^ Richard Blair, 2009 “Op. Cit.”
  9. ^ "The Orwell Foundation". The Orwell Foundation. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  10. ^ Orwell. "Committee". The Orwell Society. The Orwell Society. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  11. ^ "The Orwell Youth Prize". The Orwell Foundation. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  12. ^ "George Orwell's Southwold home gets fresh plaque". BBC News. 21 May 2018. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  13. ^ "George Orwell's son Richard unveils plaque in Canonbury Square". Islington Gazette. 24 May 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  14. ^ "The Orwell Youth Prize". The Orwell Foundation. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  15. ^ "Orwell (hijo) entra por fin en Huesca". El Pais - News (in sp). 22 February 2017. Retrieved 12 March 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  16. ^ "George Orwell's son follows father's steps in Barcelona during Spanish Civil War". Catalan News - Culture. 19 May 2019. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  17. ^ "Biography Richard Blair (IX)". IMDb. 2021. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
  18. ^ "Great Continental Railway Journeys – Salamanca to Calfranc - series 7". BBC. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  19. ^ "BBC blog – Orwell statue unveiled". BBC. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  20. ^ Articles. "Our Speakers 2015-2018". The Orwell Society. The Orwell Society. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  21. ^ "The Orwell Memorial Lectures". The Orwell Foundation. The Orwell Foundation. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  22. ^ Blair, Richard (Spring 2020). ""With Love, Eric"". The Orwell Society Journal (16): 6–8.
  23. ^ Butler, Robert (February 2015). "Orwell's World". The Economist 1843 Magazine. Retrieved 1 April 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  24. ^ The Newsroom (6 February 2017). "Celebration to mark The Road to Wigan Pier anniversary". Wigan Today (Wigan Observer and Wigan Post). Retrieved 1 April 2020. {{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  25. ^ Mackenzie, Paul (25 April 2018). "Beyond Wigan Pier - the story behind the George Orwell musical". Lancashire Life. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  26. ^ "Back on the road to Wigan Pier 80 years after George Orwell's classic". iNews - UK. 10 March 2017. Retrieved 12 March 2021.


Category:1944 births Category:George Orwell Category:Alumni of the University of Aberdeen Category:Living people


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