> Obviously any significant critique of Orwell as a writer/thinker in
general
> should consider all his work, and some of critics even amongst what I've
read
> clearly have read Catalonia, Williams included.
I wasn't referring to Williams and other serious critics/critiques so much as those on the list who have referred to Orwell as a "snitch" or whatever.
> Second, I actually don't see why being shot is a defense of his political
> ideas - it's a fact about his personal situation, but you could be the
most
> useless thinker in the world and still have been shot in such a way. It
just
> doesn't prove or justify anything when it comes to his political/critical
> thought.
OK, it was a rhetorical allusion to the bitter historical context which informed Orwell's contempt for Stalinists and their liberal apologists.
regards,
Grant.