Darcy Moore
@darcy1968.bsky.social
Independent scholar. Traveller. Bibliomaniac. Flâneur. List-maker. Interested in AI. Orwellian. Researching Orwell’s Anglo-Indian family. Recently received the Peter Davison Award for scholarship. https://www.darcymoore.net/
Another month has rolled by with the Observer using a quote that hitherto has not been proven as Orwell’s. It seems disingenuous for the branding to remain. I am gobsmacked that the British media industry does not seem to care. 🤦♂️
January 30, 2026 at 8:15 PM
Another month has rolled by with the Observer using a quote that hitherto has not been proven as Orwell’s. It seems disingenuous for the branding to remain. I am gobsmacked that the British media industry does not seem to care. 🤦♂️
www.thamesandhudson.com
January 29, 2026 at 8:27 PM
Potts was the last man to see Orwell alive!
January 21, 2026 at 11:38 AM
Potts was the last man to see Orwell alive!
I do. Forked out for a first edition when I learnt about it.
January 21, 2026 at 11:35 AM
I do. Forked out for a first edition when I learnt about it.
As is in Fiennes? ;)
January 21, 2026 at 11:25 AM
As is in Fiennes? ;)
I meant caricature, not parody. 🤦♂️
January 21, 2026 at 11:22 AM
I meant caricature, not parody. 🤦♂️
Walph Blifil-Gordon is a parody of Murrough Loftus, the son of the Irish Catholic politician Pierse Loftus who is also satirised in the novel as an MP. Yes, the Hess story is true. Btw You will enjoy another minor Orwell connection with ML ;) walberswick-pc.gov.uk/news-posts/n...
What's in a name? » Walberswick
walberswick-pc.gov.uk
January 21, 2026 at 11:20 AM
Walph Blifil-Gordon is a parody of Murrough Loftus, the son of the Irish Catholic politician Pierse Loftus who is also satirised in the novel as an MP. Yes, the Hess story is true. Btw You will enjoy another minor Orwell connection with ML ;) walberswick-pc.gov.uk/news-posts/n...
Reposted by Darcy Moore
Is A River Alive? is published today, 1 May.
It’s about the lives, deaths & rights of rivers—& how our fate flows with that of water & always has.
To the people, places & rivers whose ideas run through its pages, thank you so much.
I think it’s the book I’ve been learning to write all these years.
It’s about the lives, deaths & rights of rivers—& how our fate flows with that of water & always has.
To the people, places & rivers whose ideas run through its pages, thank you so much.
I think it’s the book I’ve been learning to write all these years.
May 1, 2025 at 1:59 PM
Is A River Alive? is published today, 1 May.
It’s about the lives, deaths & rights of rivers—& how our fate flows with that of water & always has.
To the people, places & rivers whose ideas run through its pages, thank you so much.
I think it’s the book I’ve been learning to write all these years.
It’s about the lives, deaths & rights of rivers—& how our fate flows with that of water & always has.
To the people, places & rivers whose ideas run through its pages, thank you so much.
I think it’s the book I’ve been learning to write all these years.
Reposted by Darcy Moore
@spaincivilwartours.bsky.social @drnjwaddell.bsky.social @wcorklitfest.bsky.social @markcousinsfilm.bsky.social @irishpen.bsky.social @neilhegarty.bsky.social @blackstaffpress.bsky.social @arlenhouse.bsky.social @nessao.bsky.social @berniemcgill.bsky.social @jonsavage.bsky.social
January 14, 2026 at 9:45 PM
Reposted by Darcy Moore
@martindoyle.bsky.social @martinadevlinbooks.bsky.social @literatureireland.bsky.social @irishpages.bsky.social @paulfeldstein.bsky.social @lancasteruni.bsky.social @grahammort.bsky.social @backlisted.bsky.social @motherjones.com @orwellprize.bsky.social @irishnews.com @darcy1968.bsky.social
January 14, 2026 at 9:54 PM
Reposted by Darcy Moore
I am writing a film review for a journal but wanted to get something out now about #Orwell: 2+2=5 now because, as Bernard Keane explains, in "Australia’s tinpot civil society, ‘power speech’ is on the cusp of defeating free speech". Go see it! www.darcymoore.net/2026/01/14/o...
Orwell: 2+2=5 (film review) - Darcy Moore
Raoul Peck’s ambitious new documentary pays homage to George Orwell’s intellectual achievement by exploring contemporary manifestations of the authoritarianism the writer so deplored. Since his premat...
www.darcymoore.net
January 14, 2026 at 3:05 AM
I am writing a film review for a journal but wanted to get something out now about #Orwell: 2+2=5 now because, as Bernard Keane explains, in "Australia’s tinpot civil society, ‘power speech’ is on the cusp of defeating free speech". Go see it! www.darcymoore.net/2026/01/14/o...
Reposted by Darcy Moore
Santoss made an ad for the 2026 Tour Down Under and it's surprsingly honest and informative! 🚴🚴♂️🚴♀️
Honest Government Ad | Santoss Tour Down Under
YouTube video by thejuicemedia
youtu.be
January 13, 2026 at 8:56 AM
Santoss made an ad for the 2026 Tour Down Under and it's surprsingly honest and informative! 🚴🚴♂️🚴♀️
Reposted by Darcy Moore
January 13, 2026 at 12:06 AM
“The Adelaide festival board’s decision – despite my strongest opposition – to disinvite (a writer) weakens freedom of speech and is the harbinger of a less free nation, where lobbying and political pressure determine who gets to speak and who doesn’t.” www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...?
I cannot be party to silencing writers, which is why I am resigning as director of Adelaide Writers’ Week | Louise Adler
Cancelling the Australian Palestinian author Randa Abdel-Fattah weakens freedom of speech and is the harbinger of a less free nation
www.theguardian.com
January 12, 2026 at 10:30 PM
“The Adelaide festival board’s decision – despite my strongest opposition – to disinvite (a writer) weakens freedom of speech and is the harbinger of a less free nation, where lobbying and political pressure determine who gets to speak and who doesn’t.” www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...?
The remaining members of the board "Tracey Whiting, Leesa Chesser, Mary Couros, Brenton Cox and Jennifer Fuller (government observer)." It strikes me as something from Soviet Russia that a literary board has "a government observer". www.smh.com.au/national/pal...
Board members quit Adelaide Festival as dumped writer calls in lawyer
Pressure to reinstate Palestinian-Australian author Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah to the line-up of one of the country’s best-loved writers’ festivals is mounting.
www.smh.com.au
January 12, 2026 at 1:23 AM
The remaining members of the board "Tracey Whiting, Leesa Chesser, Mary Couros, Brenton Cox and Jennifer Fuller (government observer)." It strikes me as something from Soviet Russia that a literary board has "a government observer". www.smh.com.au/national/pal...
How can this be happening in our literary and broader culture? www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01...
Palestinian Australian author dropped from writers' festival after Bondi
Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah has been dropped from the Adelaide Writers' Week line-up by the Adelaide Festival Board, citing the festival's role in "promoting community cohesion".
www.abc.net.au
January 8, 2026 at 5:09 AM
How can this be happening in our literary and broader culture? www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01...
Reposted by Darcy Moore
Happy New Fear!
The new Private Eye is out now.
The new Private Eye is out now.
January 7, 2026 at 8:07 AM
Happy New Fear!
The new Private Eye is out now.
The new Private Eye is out now.
@privateeyenews.bsky.social has taken up the cudgel on page 3 about #Orwell and the Observer ‘nonsense’.
January 7, 2026 at 9:02 PM
@privateeyenews.bsky.social has taken up the cudgel on page 3 about #Orwell and the Observer ‘nonsense’.
A treat to usher in the New Year! iview.abc.net.au/show/but-als...
But Also John Clarke
John Clarke, Australia and NZ's defining satirist, is revealed through candid talks with his daughter Lorin. This tribute explores his defiance, move to Australia, and four decades of comedy, blending...
iview.abc.net.au
January 1, 2026 at 6:33 AM
A treat to usher in the New Year! iview.abc.net.au/show/but-als...
Although I was distracted by England managing to find new ways to blow their advantage in the cricket, I managed to draft a piece for discussion about some new research. #Orwell
www.darcymoore.net/2025/12/26/c...
www.darcymoore.net/2025/12/26/c...
Charoux, Orwell & Astor’s Circle - Darcy Moore
“Siegfried Charoux was a man of many gifts and warm friendships. Sculpture and painting were his chief modes of expression, but he was also an inventor of technical devices in those arts, a memorable ...
www.darcymoore.net
December 26, 2025 at 9:17 AM
Although I was distracted by England managing to find new ways to blow their advantage in the cricket, I managed to draft a piece for discussion about some new research. #Orwell
www.darcymoore.net/2025/12/26/c...
www.darcymoore.net/2025/12/26/c...
“In reading the six books… Pullman has written, it becomes clear that the antagonist is not spirituality – or even organised religion per se. The chief threat is something closer to dogma or absolutist thinking, and the authoritarian mindset...“ www.theguardian.com/books/2025/d...
Truth in fantasy: what Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials taught us over its 30-year run
The ‘religious atheist’ author held a reputation as CS Lewis’s opposite. But his two trilogies – which came to a close this year – were a celebration of humanity and imagination
www.theguardian.com
December 25, 2025 at 2:56 AM
“In reading the six books… Pullman has written, it becomes clear that the antagonist is not spirituality – or even organised religion per se. The chief threat is something closer to dogma or absolutist thinking, and the authoritarian mindset...“ www.theguardian.com/books/2025/d...
Good news! The John Clarke doco premieres at 7.30pm on Thursday, January 1 and streams on ABC iview! www.smh.com.au/culture/tv-a...
John Clarke was a treasure – and this documentary proves we need more like him
This is a joyful excursion into the mind of the satirist, who created some of Australia and New Zealand’s best comedy.
www.smh.com.au
December 25, 2025 at 2:04 AM
Good news! The John Clarke doco premieres at 7.30pm on Thursday, January 1 and streams on ABC iview! www.smh.com.au/culture/tv-a...