For the first time, the diaries of George Orwell, published in Russian, reveal to us the unknown story of the ordinary life of an extraordinary man, hidden from the eyes of the readers of his great works. The eleven surviving diaries, written by him between 1931 and 1939, describe his youthful wanderings among miners and itinerant workers, the rise of totalitarianism and the terrible drama of World War II. He wrote down everything - his thoughts, sketches of poetry, observations of the weather, newspaper clippings with recipes and tips for gardening. These daily entries preserved the invaluable “seeds” of events and thoughts from which his literary masterpieces later grew. They also reflected the tragic moments of his personal life, such as the death of his first wife and his own decline in a painful battle with tuberculosis. Stylistically impeccable, Orwell's diaries absorbed the fullness of his life and thoughts over many years, being an experience of autobiography, which he will never write.