An invisible life now acknowledged

Wifedom by Anna Funder (the writer of Stasiland which I review here) is about Eileen, the wife of Eric Blair/George Orwell, and her role in her marriage and in the creation of Orwell’s greatest books. The author argues that Orwell’s writing and his life depended completely on the unpaid labour of Eileen and that, in return, Orwell made her invisible and valued her so little that her death is almost certainly a result of his neglect.

Using and quoting from letters and diaries the author shows how Eileen worked with Orwell on his greatest books and how she typed the manuscripts – in fact she did all the routine work of a writer as well as the housekeeping and financial management. She had also been a writer and thinker before their marriage and she was able to discuss his ideas with him. Orwell responded by denying her any recognition, ignoring her when she was of no use to him and by having a series of affairs. He could not have achieved all that he did without her assistance and yet he never acknowledged this and maybe didn’t even realise it. As the author investigates the life of Eileen and seeks to give her a voice she muses on how the patriarchy is sustained by the women who remain invisible.

Orwell does not come out of this book well. He appears sadistic at times, thoughtless, self-absorbed and selfish. It is almost certain that he would not have been as successful without the unpaid labour of his wife but it is impossible to know exactly how much she contributed to his ideas and his writing.

The author began by rereading Orwell’s books and biographies and she finds Eileen in the gaps between the paragraphs and in glancing references. Some of this book is a narrative reconstruction to fill those gaps and, on occasion, the author has to use her imagination but she is clear about this and I don’t think that this takes away from what the evidence she has clearly shows.

I was absolutely gripped by this book and the insight that the author gives to the life and times of a great writer. I don’t think that knowing about Orwell’s wife changes my view of his writing  but I think that it is necessary to know it to understand Orwell as a man. A fascinating book.