A Biography of George Orwell

Real Name—Eric Arthur Blair
Lived 1903-1950
Born in India
Moved to England as a small child
His childhood dream: “From a very early age, perhaps the age of five or six, I knew that when I grew up I should be a writer.”
His pen name: George “sounds solidly English” and Orwell is the name of “a river in Suffolk, England”

Orwell’s Education
Attended expensive preparatory schools in England
Grew up “lower-upper-middle class”
“Felt inferior to upper class boys at school”

Life After School
Served in Burma with the Indian Imperial Police
Quit because he hated the racism
“I hate violence and don’t believe in politics; the only major remedy remaining is education.”
“Men can only be happy when they do not assume that the object of life is happiness.”

Career Path
Chose to live in poverty
Worked as a dishwasher
Wrote Down and Out in Paris and London
Exposed harsh working conditions of the poor
Investigated England’s coal-mining industry
Wrote The Road to Wigan Pier
Exposed terrible conditions of the miners

Effects of These Jobs
Grew to hate a “class system”
Became a socialist
Socialism
All goods in a country are shared with others
No one has more than others
For example, “You have two cows. The government takes one and gives it to your neighbor.”

To Make Ends Meet
Writing wasn’t paying the bills
Other jobs:
1. Teacher
2. Grocer
3. Bookshop assistant
4. BBC writer
Fought in Spanish Civil War against communists
Shot in the throat in battle
Wrote about this war
Homage to Catalonia

Personal Life
Married in 1936
Diagnosed with tuberculosis in 1938
Adopted son in 1944
Wife died in 1946
Remarried in 1950 (three months before his own death)

Most Famous Works
Animal Farm
Published in 1945
Wrote it “to expose [Joseph] Stalin’s perversion of socialism”
Fusion of “political and artistic purpose”
Immediate commercial ($) success
Quickly translated into many languages

Animal Farm
Animal Farm is an allegorical novel by George Orwell, published in England on 17 August 1945. According to Orwell, the book reflects events leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917 and then on into the Stalin era in the Soviet Union.

The novel shows the corruption of the government, rebellions and fight for the «equality» of all people through the animal beings. In this tale, Orwell wanted to open eyes of world`s society. He showed us that a revolution, once it has abandoned honesty, truth and clarity, results in oppression, cruelty and exploitation. The power can and will be abused.