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George Orwell \u2013 the author of classics like 1984 \u2013 is a household name. But have you heard of his first wife, Eileen O\u2019Shaughnessy, who convinced her husband to write the political fable which evolved into Animal Farm? Despite being vital in Orwell\u2019s career, she has been omitted from the historical narrative by both her husband and his biographers since. Speaking to Lauren Good, Anna Funder reveals O\u2019Shaughnessy\u2019s hidden life \u2013 and considers how women through the past have facilitated the success of their husbands from the shadows.\n\n(Ad) Anna Funder is the author of Wifedom: Mrs Orwell\u2019s Invisible Life (Viking, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wifedom-Mrs-Orwells-Invisible-Life/dp/0241482720/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty\n\nThe HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices