Origins As A Political House
Gollancz was left-inclined in politics and a supporter of socialist movements. This is reflected in some of the books he published. Victor Gollancz commissioned George Orwell to write about the urban working class in the North of England; the result was The Road to Wigan Pier. His break with Orwell came when he declined to publish Orwell's account of the Spanish Civil War Homage to Catalonia, the pair having drifted apart on political grounds. He did publish The Red Army Moves by Geoffrey Cox on the Winter War which was critical of the Soviet attack on Finland, but also foresaw that the Red Army would defeat the Germans. He also published works by German exiles, such as Hilde Meisel.
Gollancz was the original publisher of a number of famous authors and their books including:
- George Orwell with Down and Out in Paris and London in 1933
- Alfred Ayer with Language, Truth and Logic in 1936
- A. J. Cronin with The Citadel in 1937
- Daphne du Maurier with Rebecca in 1938
- Kingsley Amis with Lucky Jim in 1953
- Colin Wilson with The Outsider in 1956
- E. P. Thompson with The Making of the English Working Class in 1963
- Anthony Price with The Labyrinth Makers in 1971.
Many of Gollancz's books were published in one of their familiar house dust jackets, of which the most famous was bright yellow, with the title and author rendered in a vibrant, bold typography.
Read more about this topic: Victor Gollancz Ltd
Famous quotes containing the words origins, political and/or house:
“Grown onto every inch of plate, except
Where the hinges let it move, were living things,
Barnacles, mussels, water weeds—and one
Blue bit of polished glass, glued there by time:
The origins of art.”
—Howard Moss (b. 1922)
“Political life at Washington is like political life in a suburban vestry.”
—Oscar Wilde (1854–1900)
“Little Orphant Annie’s come to our house to stay,
An’ wash the cups an’ saucers up, an’ brush the crumbs away,”
—James Whitcomb Riley (1849–1916)