Great Moments in the history of the English Language
The CIA's publication of the "family jewels" (that is documents written before 1973, which they kept secret for no good reason for decades after confessing to the Church and Pike commissions) make me think of great literature. In particular of Orwell's admiration for "Ulysses". Orwell had been attempting to write a long poem about a day in London, when he read the very long novel about a day in Dublin. He wrote in his diary that he was "sick with envy." This was not an unusual entry for Orwell. It was unique.
Now I wonder if he might, again, recognise that he has been surpassed. I am thinking of 1984 of course. A very good book (and he finished it unlike the poem) with brilliant writing. However, the prose of "Politics and the English Language" might be even better. Both however are surpassed by the brilliant Al Haney (organizer of the coup in Guatamala) who wrote
"Eliminate all the absolute monarchies, dictatorships and juntas from the free world and count those that are left and it should be readily apparent that the U.S. would be well on its way to isolation.”
I have great respect for Orwell, but I don't think he dared imagine a character who would claim that "the free world" consists *mostly* of "absolute monarchies, dictatorships and juntas." Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.
