The Orwell Council have a special relationship to the Orwell estate and Orwell’s legacy. As well as advocating for the charity in public life, they are the Foundation’s first and most important source of advice on its stewardship of Orwell’s work, values, and contemporary significance.
Richard Blair
Richard Blair is George Orwell’s adopted son. He is the Founding Patron of The Orwell Foundation and served as a founding trustee of both The Orwell Foundation and The Orwell Youth Prize prior to joining The Orwell Council. Richard is also patron of The Orwell Society, an independent membership organisation dedicated to promoting understanding and appreciation of the life and work of George Orwell.
Bill Hamilton
Bill Hamilton is a literary agent for many distinguished authors, and the literary executor of the Orwell Estate at A. M. Heath. He was Chair of the Orwell Prize before stepping down in 2015 and was a founding trustee of both The Orwell Foundation and The Orwell Youth Prize.
D. J. Taylor
Born in Norwich in 1960, D . J. Taylor is a writer and critic with a career spanning over 35 years. He is the author of 12 novels, numerous non-fiction books and acclaimed biographies of Thackeray and George Orwell, for which he won the Whitbread Biography Prize in 2003. Following the discovery of new material, in 2023 he released a second biography of George Orwell, Orwell: The New Life. His guide to Orwell and his novels, Who Is Big Brother? was published in March 2024.
Hugh Tomlinson
Hugh Tomlinson KC is a Barrister, and founding member of Matrix Chambers. He is a specialist in media and information law. Hugh has also translated works of French philosopher Gilles Deleuze.