WILL STONE fact-checks the colourful life of Ozzy Osbourne
Insights into political contradictions and certitudes of ‘gloomy sage’ George Orwell
Establishment mouthpiece: George Orwell broadcasts for the BBC in 1940
[BBC/Creative Commons] 
JAMES CROSSLEY applauds a lucid biography of the German radical preacher who reemerged as a hero in the GDR
Prizes all round: the Bard hands plaudits to the Miners Gala, OT&JC, Joe Solo, Black Sabbath’s frontman and the Lionesses
Star cartoonist JAMIE BRITTON is in awe of a graphic novel of epic proportions that explores class, religion and globalisation via the strange cultivation of Ginseng in the US Midwest
GUILLERMO THOMAS is intrigued by a history of the Middle East that demonstrates how promising post colonial beginnings were snuffed out by Western imperialist interests
MARIA DUARTE recommends the intricate study of a high-performance and highly dysfuntional German family
Liberty, Equality, and Humbug: Orwell’s Political Ideals
by David Dwan
(Oxford University Press, £25)
THE inclusion of “humbug” in the title of David Dwan’s examination of the ideals that drove one of the most controversial political writers of the mid-20th century does not necessarily imply that he is about demolishing George Orwell’s reputation.
More from this author
GORDON PARSONS acknowledges the authority with which Sarah Kane’s theatrical justification for suicide has resonance today
GORDON PARSONS is disappointed by an unsubtle production of this comedy of upper middle class infidelity
GORDON PARSONS joins a standing ovation for a brilliant production that fuses Shakespeare’s tragedy with Radiohead's music
GORDON PARSONS recommends a gripping account of flawed justice in the case of Pinochet and the Nazi fugitive Walther Rauff
