Richard Blair (patron)

{{Infobox person

| name = Richard Blair

| image = Richard_Blair_(Portrait).jpg

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| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1944|5|14}}

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| occupation = Trustee, patron

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| spouse = {{marriage|Eleanor Blair|1964}}

| children = 2

| parents = {{ubl|George Orwell (adoptive father)|Eileen O'Shaughnessy (adoptive mother)}}

| relatives = Sonia Orwell (adoptive stepmother)

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| nationality = British

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Richard Horatio Blair (born 14 May 1944) is a British trustee and patron who is the only (adopted) son of English author George Orwell.{{cite book |last=Davison |first=Peter |title=The Lost Orwell |publisher=Timewell Press |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-85725-214-9 |page=244 |author-link=Peter Davison (professor)}}

Life and works

Blair was adopted by Eileen{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/george-packer/orwell-and-son|title=Orwell and Son|first=George|last=Packer|magazine=The New Yorker|date=25 March 2009 }} and Eric Blair (George Orwell),{{cite news |last1=Wynne Jones |first1=Ros |title=George Orwell's adopted son reveals how his dad cared for him while he wrote classic 1984 |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/george-orwells-adopted-son-reveals-10079539 |access-date=19 August 2020 |agency=Mirror Newspaper |publisher=Mirror |date=22 March 2017}} and after their deaths, lived with Avril Dunn (née Blair, Orwell's sister, his legal guardian) and Bill Dunn.{{cite web|author= Richard Blair |url=https://orwellsociety.com/richard-blair-on-life-with-my-aunt-avril/ |title=Richard Blair on Life With My Aunt Avril|date=27 October 2011|website=The Orwell Society - Articles |publisher=Finlay Publisher January 2009 | access-date=12 March 2021 }} Blair learned that he had been adopted when he was around ten years old: "I didn't know I was adopted until I was about nine or 10. Avril was driving me somewhere and just dropped it in the conversation".{{Cite news |title=George Orwell and me: Richard Blair on life with his extraordinary father |last=Hattenstone |first=Simon |date=19 March 2025 |url= https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/mar/19/george-orwell-me-richard-blair-life-with-extraordinary-father |work=The Guardian |access-date=6 April 2025}}

Blair went to Loretto School from 1953 to 1960, and attended the agricultural colleges of Wiltshire College and Scotland's Rural College, before joining Massey Ferguson, where he worked in sales and marketing from 1975 to 1986.Richard Blair, 2009 “Op. Cit.” He married Eleanor in 1964 and they have two sons.{{cite web |last1=Blair |first1=Richard |title=Richard Horatio Blair |url=https://www.ornaverum.org/family/friends/blair-richard-early-life.html |website=OmaVerum |access-date=19 August 2020}} Blair's stepmother Sonia died in 1980, passing the income from the Orwell estate on to him. In 1985, Blair bought Loch Craignish (self-catering) Cottages, which he ran until 2008.

Having sold his business in 2008, Blair dedicated his time to preserving the memory of his father, George Orwell, which he continues today.{{Cite news | url=https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/02/21/inenglish/1487677236_774641.html | title="The world is moving toward George Orwell:" Richard Blair - The son of the author of '1984' reflects on the legacy of his father during a visit to Spain|date=22 February 2017|work=El Pais - News|access-date=12 March 2021|language=en-GB}} At the beginning of 2009, Blair published his first account of his life with his father, and spoke publicly for the first time about his childhood, in an interview with D.J. Taylor at the Sunday Times CNA Literary Awards.{{cite web |title=The Orwell Foundation |url=https://www.orwellfoundation.com/events/oxford-2009-richard-blair-in-conversation-with-d-j-taylor/|website=The Orwell Foundation |date=3 April 2009 |access-date=11 March 2021}} In the following year, he collaborated with Dione Venables to inspire the founding of The Orwell Society, of which he is both patron and trustee.{{cite web |last1=Orwell |title=Committee |url=https://orwellsociety.com/about-the-society/committee/ |website=The Orwell Society |access-date=19 August 2020}} Two years later, Blair was elected trustee of The Orwell Foundation and Orwell Youth Prize, of which he is a patron.{{cite web |title=The Orwell Youth Prize |url=https://www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-youth-prize/abouttheyouthprize/patrons/|website=The Orwell Foundation |date=21 October 2014 |access-date=11 March 2021}}

After 2012, Blair increased his public activity by performing ceremonial roles such as unveiling plaques,{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-44197314|title=George Orwell's Southwold home gets fresh plaque|date=21 May 2018|work=BBC News|access-date=1 April 2020|language=en-GB}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.islingtongazette.co.uk/lifestyle/george-orwell-s-son-richard-unveils-plaque-in-canonbury-square-3754398|title=George Orwell's son Richard unveils plaque in Canonbury Square|date=24 May 2016|work=Islington Gazette|access-date=11 March 2021|language=en-GB}} presenting literary prizes,{{cite web |title=The Orwell Youth Prize |url=https://www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-youth-prize/2018-youth-prize/richardblairamessage/ |website=The Orwell Foundation |date=22 May 2020 |access-date=11 March 2021}} opening international events,{{Cite news|url=https://elpais.com/cultura/2017/02/17/actualidad/1487358546_569654.html |title= Orwell (hijo) entra por fin en Huesca |date=22 February 2017|work=El País|access-date=12 March 2021|language=es}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.catalannews.com/culture/item/george-orwell-s-son-follows-father-s-steps-in-barcelona-during-spanish-civil-war|title=George Orwell's son follows father's steps in Barcelona during Spanish Civil War |date=19 May 2019|work=Catalan News - Culture|access-date=12 March 2021|language=en-GB}} making guest appearances on radio and television,{{cite web| title = Biography Richard Blair (IX) | publisher = IMDb | date = 2021 | url = https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7527365/| access-date = 2021-03-12}}{{cite web |title=Great Continental Railway Journeys – Salamanca to Calfranc - series 7 |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000l9ws |website=BBC |access-date=11 March 2021}} and dedicating a statue to his father installed outside Broadcasting House.{{cite web |title=BBC blog – Orwell statue unveiled |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/aboutthebbc/entries/41a0eedb-c435-479d-aa63-a89ad81daf01|website=BBC |date= 7 November 2017|access-date=11 March 2021}} Blair is also engaged in more hands-on roles by hosting lectures through both The Orwell Society and The Orwell Foundation,{{cite web |last1=Articles |title=Our Speakers 2015-2018 |url=https://orwellsociety.com/our-speakers-2015-2018/|website=The Orwell Society |date=4 November 2018 |access-date=12 March 2021}}{{cite web |title=The Orwell Memorial Lectures |url=https://www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-foundation/programmes/the-orwell-lecture-2/ |website=The Orwell Foundation |date=30 October 2018 |access-date=12 March 2021}} publishing articles,{{cite journal |last1=Blair |first1=Richard |title="With Love, Eric" |journal=The Orwell Society Journal |date=Spring 2020 |issue=16 |pages=6–8}} sponsoring the Orwell Prize, and conducting annual guided excursions to his childhood house at Barnhill, where his father wrote Nineteen Eighty-Four.{{cite news |author= Butler, Robert |date= February 2015 |title= Orwell's World|url=https://www.1843magazine.com/content/features/robert-butler/orwells-world|work= The Economist 1843 Magazine |access-date= 1 April 2020 }}

In 2017, The Orwell Society initiated a series of engagements with the local community in Wigan to increase awareness of Orwell's motives in writing The Road to Wigan Pier, eighty years after the book was first published.{{cite news |date=6 February 2017 |title=Celebration to mark The Road to Wigan Pier anniversary|url=https://www.wigantoday.net/lifestyle/celebration-mark-road-wigan-pier-anniversary-743027 |work=Wigan Today (Wigan Observer and Wigan Post) |access-date= 1 April 2020 }} Blair participated as one of the narrators in Beyond Wigan Pier, an opera first performed in 2018{{cite news |last1=Mackenzie |first1=Paul |title=Beyond Wigan Pier - the story behind the George Orwell musical |url=https://www.lancashirelife.co.uk/out-about/places/beyond-wigan-pier-george-orwell-musical-1-5485556 |access-date=18 February 2020 |publisher=Lancashire Life |date=25 April 2018}} aimed at attracting funding for students to attend Music & Drama school, and bringing the community closer to his father.{{Cite news|url=https://inews.co.uk/news/uk/80-years-since-george-orwell-wrote-road-wigan-pier-52177|title=Back on the road to Wigan Pier 80 years after George Orwell's classic |date=10 March 2017|work=iNews - UK|access-date=12 March 2021|language=en-GB}}

Blair has revealed he is committed to stopping fake Orwell quotes from spreading on social media.{{Cite web |last=Pingitore |first=Silvia |date=2022-05-12 |title=Interview with George Orwell's son |url=https://the-shortlisted.co.uk/george-orwell-son-richard-blair-interview/ |access-date=2023-06-29 |website=The Shortlisted |language=en-GB}}

In 2023 Blair was awarded Honorary Fellowship of University College London in recognition of his extensive support for the George Orwell Archive, which resides in the university's Special Collections department.{{Cite web |last=UCL |date=2023-09-14 |title=UCL awards 2023 Honorary Degrees and Fellowships |url=https://www.ucl.ac.uk/alumni/news/2023/sep/ucl-awards-2023-honorary-degrees-and-fellowships |access-date=2023-12-05 |website=UCL Alumni |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Kopp |first=Quentin |date=2023-09-07 |title=Richard Blair: Honorary Fellowship |url=https://orwellsociety.com/richard-blair-honorary-fellowship/ |access-date=2023-12-05 |website=The Orwell Society |language=en-GB}}{{Cite web |last=UCL Special Collections |date=2021-12-06 |title=Important letters donated to the George Orwell Archive |url=https://www.ucl.ac.uk/library/news/2021/dec/important-letters-donated-george-orwell-archive |access-date=2023-12-05 |website=Library Services |language=en}} The majority of the Orwell archive has been digitised and made available for everyone to access online.{{Cite web |last=UCL Special Collections |title=George Orwell Archive |url=https://ucl.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/collectionDiscovery?vid=44UCL_INST:UCL_VU2&collectionId=81354457070004761 |access-date=2023-12-05 |website=UCL Explore Digital Collections |language=en}}

Richard Blair (patron)

Life and works

References

Further reading