PENGUIN MODERN CLASSICS : ENGLAND YOUR ENGLAND – GEORGE ORWELL

England is a family in which the young are generally thwarted and most of the power is in the hands of irresponsible uncles and bedridden aunts. Still, it is a family. England Your England is one of the most compelling and insightful portraits of the nation ever written. Shot through with Orwell s deeply felt sense of patriotism and love for his homeland, the essay is at the same time unfailingly clear-eyed about the nation s failings: entrenched social inequality, a dishonest press and a class system that only works for those at the top. Written during the Second World War, as the bombs were falling on England, the essay today speaks to the nation s current moment of crisis just as urgently as it did in Orwell s own time. It is a crucial read for anyone who wants to understand who we are, and where we ve come from.