Love letters written by Orwell to be sold

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LONDON, March 8 (UPI) -- A series of love letters written by the late British author George Orwell offer a rare glimpse into the mind of the "Animal Farm" writer, his biographer says.

Orwell biographer D.J. Taylor said the love letters being auctioned off by the Bonhams auction service reveal a secret relationship the reclusive author had with a woman named Eleanor Jaques, The Daily Telegraph reported Saturday.

Some of the 20 letters written under Orwell's real name, Eric Arthur Blair, were addressed to Jaques, while other, less romantic, offerings were addressed to Jaques' future husband, Dennis Collings.

The letters, written between 1931 and 1933, also include an emotional plea for Jaques to honor a date they had planned.

"These letters are among the most revealing documents in existence on Orwell, who was a very private man," Taylor said of the items up for auction this month.

"He was never someone who revealed very much about himself, even to his friends, so letters that show him talking about himself like this, particularly before he was successful and famous, are unusual."

The Telegraph said the letters could sell for more than $56,000.