Churchill and Orwell: The Battle for Freedom / Thomas Ricks ; Translated from English — Moscow : Alpina non-fiction, 2023. — 432 pages. ISBN 978-5-00139-085-5 Based on the biographies of Winston Churchill and George Orwell, the author shows that these two very different men influenced the ideological structure of post-war Western society more than any of their contemporaries. Their weapon was the word, and their books and speeches still have a tremendous impact on millions today. Focusing on the most productive period of their lives, the 1930s–1940s, Thomas Ricks not only paints accurate psychological portraits of his heroes, but also recreates the life of the British Empire in all its splendor and poverty — colonial ambitions, class contradictions, fatal appeasement policies, and the ruling elite's fascination with fascism. The book also covers Orwell's participation in the Spanish Civil War and Churchill's decisive role in World War II. Ricks does not write glorified portraits of great men, but fearlessly shows his heroes in moments of moral and intellectual uplift and emotional and physical decline, revealing incredible spiritual strength and frank human weakness.