Looking for wonder and some reprieve from the everyday, Anna Funder slips into the pages of her hero George Orwell. As she watches him create his writing self, she tries to remember her own…

And when she uncovers his forgotten wife, it’s a revelation. Eileen O’Shaughnessy’s literary brilliance shaped Orwell’s work and her practical nous saved his life. But why – and how – was she written out of the story? Using newly discovered letters from Eileen to her best friend, Funder recreates the Orwells’ marriage, through the Spanish Civil War and WWII in London. As she rolls up the screen concealing Orwell’s private life she is led to question what it takes to be a writer – and what it is to be a wife.

Compelling and utterly original, Wifedom speaks to the unsung work of women everywhere today, while offering a breathtakingly intimate view of one of the most important literary marriages of the 20th century. It is a book that speaks to our present moment as much as it illuminates the past.

2024, Indie Book Awards Non Fiction, Short-listed

2024, Gordon Burn Prize, Short-listed

2024, Women's Prize for Non Fiction, Long-listed

2024, Australian Book Industry Award (ABIA) Audiobook of the Year, Short-listed

2024, Australian Book Industry Award (ABIA) Biography of the Year, Winner

2024, Australian Book Industry Award (ABIA) Social Impact Book of the Year, Short-listed

2024, Nib Literary Award (aka 'The Nib': CAL Waverley Library Award for Literature), Short-listed

2024, Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger, Winner

2024, BookPeople (formerly ABA) Book of the Year Award Adult Non-Fiction, Winner