George Orwell (1903-1950) is one of England's most famous writers and social commentators. He is the author of the classic political satire Animal Farm and the dystopian masterpiece Nineteen Eighty-Four. He is also well known for his essays and journalism, particularly his works covering his travels and his time fighting in the Spanish Civil War. His writing is celebrated for its piercing clarity, purpose and wit and his books continue to be bestsellers all over the world.

Alan Johnson was General Secretary of the Communication Workers Union before entering Parliament as Labour MP for Hull West and Hessle in 1997. He served as Home Secretary from June 2009 to May 2010. Before that, he filled a wide variety of cabinet positions in both the Blair and Brown governments. His childhood memoir This Boy (Bantam Press, 2013) won the Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize, and the Orwell Prize. His second memoir Please Mr Postman (2014) won the National Book Club award for Best Biography. The Long and winding Road, the final book in his memoir trilogy, won the Parliamentary Book Award for Best Memoir.