In the first ever Book Club episode of A Podcast of One’s Own, Julia and co-host Sarah Holland-Batt delve into Australian author Anna Funder’s new work Wifedom.

Wifedom tells the untold story of Eileen O'Shaughnessy and her marriage to George Orwell, one of the most famed English writers of all time.

Funder recreates the Orwell’s’ marriage, taking readers through the Spanish Civil War and the Second World War in London.

Eileen’s story has been largely ignored by the history books, and as Funder shows, sometimes even rewritten by biographers of Orwell.

Julia and Sarah discuss Funder’s unique style of writing, how women get written out of history, how Eileen’s experience resonates with women today, and how fans of Orwell’s work can reconcile that with his personal behaviour.

Show notes:

• Wifedom by Anna Funder is published by Penguin and available at all good bookstores. https://www.penguin.com.au/books/wifedom-9780143787112

• Find out more about co-host Sarah Holland-Batt here: https://www.sarahhollandbatt.com/

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