Orwell's England: 85 Years Later

Join us to consider what Englishness means today, as author Nikesh Shukla and a panel including Zakia Sewell examine Orwell’s essay through today’s lens. First published in 1941, George Orwell’s seminal essay on Englishness, socialism, class and nationalism offered a roadmap to a version of the country free from Empire and the ruling class. Eighty-five years later, we’ve seen the rise of nationalism, from Reform UK to anti-Muslim riots on the streets. Meanwhile, England’s sense of self seems to be fracturing under the weight of the far right and external forces like US political influencers. A panel of speakers including writer and broadcaster Zakia Sewell, led by author Nikesh Shukla (The Good Immigrant), respond to Orwell’s essay from a contemporary perspective – asking what Englishness means today, what has changed since the publication of the essay, and what a different version of the country could look like. Nikesh Shukla is an award-winning novelist, screenwriter, columnist and editor best known for his bestselling essay collection The Good Immigrant. Beyond his extensive catalogue, he has written for Marvel and for TV with HBO, Prime, BBC, Sky and Apple. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and the Sundance Institute, he was named one of Time Magazine’s cultural leaders and Foreign Policy magazine’s ‘100 Global Thinkers’.