Do join us for a session with graphic novelist and Cartoon County regular Jaime Huxtable, as his latest work, a graphic novel version of George Orwell's Such, Such Were The Joys is about to be published by Pluto Press. The roots of Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four began to grow in Orwell's formative years as a pupil at a strict private school in Eastbourne. His essay Such, Such Were The Joys ably adapted here by Sean Michael Wilson, recounts the ugly realities of the regime to which pupils were subjected in the name of class prejudice, hierarchy and imperial destiny.

This graphic novel vividly brings his experiences at school to life. As Orwell earned his place through scholarship rather than wealth, he was picked on by both staff and richer students. The violence of his teachers and the shame he experienced on a daily basis leap from the pages, conjuring up how this harsh world looked through a child's innocent eyes while juxtaposing the mature Orwell's ruminations on what such schooling says about society.

Today, as the private school and class system endure, this is a vivid reminder that the world Orwell sought to change is still with us. For those who are eagerly awaiting the Soaring Penguin publication of Tobias Taitt's autobiography Black, stunningly brough to life by artist Anthony Smith, and as serialised in Aces Weekly, you will see that Orwell's experiences are sadly as fresh and relevant as ever.

Adapted by Sean Michael Wilson, and illustrated by Jaime Huxtable, Such Such Were the Joys is available from Pluto.

Please register on eventbrite for a link to the session, with Alex Fitch in the chair.