During the Second World War, it became clear to Orwell that anti-Soviet literature was not something which most major publishing houses would touch – including his regular publisher Gollancz.
dˈʊɹɹɪŋ ðə sˈɛkənd wˈɜːld wˈɔːɹ, ɪt bɪkˌeɪm klˈɪɹ tʊ ˈɔːɹwɛl ðæt ˈæntaɪsˈoʊviət lˈɪɾɚɹᵻtʃɚ wʌz nˌɑːt sˈʌmθɪŋ wˌɪtʃ mˈoʊst mˈeɪdʒɚ pˈʌblɪʃɪŋ hˈaʊzᵻz wʊd tˈʌtʃ ɪŋklˈuːdɪŋ hɪz ɹˈɛɡjʊlɚ pˈʌblɪʃɚ ɡˈɑːlæŋkz.