Eric Arthur Blair better known by his pen name George Orwell, born this day in 1903
was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is marked by lucid prose, awareness of social injustice, opposition to totalitarianism, and outspoken support of democratic socialism.
Orwell wrote literary criticism, poetry, fiction, and polemical journalism. He is best known for the allegorical novella Animal Farm (1945) and the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949)
Animal Farm
A farm is taken over by its overworked, mistreated animals. With flaming idealism and stirring slogans, they set out to create a paradise of progress, justice, and equality. Thus the stage is set for one of the most telling satiric fables ever penned—a razor-edged fairy tale for grown-ups that records the evolution from revolution against tyranny to a totalitarianism just as terrible
Rated 4.5 on amazon.com
Down and Out in Paris and London
Orwell’s first work — a sensitive and insightful description of the life of the working poor in Paris and the homeless in London. It is still very relevant today, and while aimed at the casual reader, it is of interest to the scholar and activist.
Rated 4.3 on amazon.com
In 1984, London is a grim city in the totalitarian state of Oceania where Big Brother is always watching you and the Thought Police can practically read your mind. Winston Smith is a man in grave danger for the simple reason that his memory still functions. Drawn into a forbidden love affair, Winston finds the courage to join a secret revolutionary organization called The Brotherhood, dedicated to the destruction of the Party. Together with his beloved Julia, he hazards his life in a match against the powers that be.
Rated 4.4 on amazon.com
Share your thoughts
Have you read Orwell, has he influenced you in any way?
Cafe Book Bean 
Yes. With today’s Administration in the US, Orwell and Huxley have become quite popular again. Hmmmm…Totalitarianism anyone?
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Pingback: Homage to George Orwell – worldtraveller70
I read 1984 in high school. I hated required reading but this one blew me away. I’ve reread it three times since then! One of these days I’ll pick up Aminal Farm! He was strangely ahead of his time!
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If you like 1984 you will like Animal Farm, I highly recommend you reading it 🙂
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We teach Animal Farm to ninth graders and for most it is their first exposure to allegory and the Russian Revolution–it’s a book that opens up many a productive discussion to government control. As seniors they can select 1984 as a lit circle read. Those who do are notably impacted. The relevance of both novels is still clearly evident.
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Clearly a genius, it would be interesting to know what it was that created his unique insight. His environment, his I.Q., his parents…
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Animal Farm and 1984, two great books even if he was off a bit with the title of “1984” title 🙂
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big brother is watching is a byline for the present!
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My favorite work by George Orwell is his essay “Politics and the English Language.” It’s wonderful!
“A scrupulous writer, in every sentence that he writes, will ask himself at least four questions, thus: What am I trying to say? What words will express it? What image or idiom will make it clearer? Is this image fresh enough to have an effect?”
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Love Orwell. I have a mind of re-reading it again. (But I have a story in progress which is a bit similar with different premises, so I don’t want the influence)
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Now, the fact is we are but a few inches away from 1984. My eldest daughter was telling me the other day that her maps app knows exactly where she will go and when: Tuesday, “shall we go to parents’ house for lunch?” Thursday afternoon, are you going to the Navy Hospital for rounds? Quite frightening really. When I open your blog I get ads for houses to buy around here. (We just bought another house.) Tell me: how on Earth does WP know about that?
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The examples you give are private companies utilizing data that you agreed to share with them via various terms of service that you clicked “I agree on.” That’s quite different than the government tracking and controlling us.
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I know, I know. The “I agree” button is quite dangerous. But. But. What happens when the government decides to access that data, our data, for national security reasons? It will happen. (And I am not a conspiracy guy)
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I read 1984 in high school, back in the mid ’90s, and liked it but didn’t love it. I read it a few years later and loved it, then read it again a few years ago and loved it even more. I love when books can do that – be different things to me at different times in my life.
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I have read Animal Farm! It was very interesting, but I don’t know if it has influenced me in any particular way. Hmm, I’ll have to think about that.
I would really like to read 1984. 😀
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1984 – so appropriate for today in the U.S. Years ago I saw the staged version of “Animal Farm.’
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I love your brief synopsis of each tale, I’ve never read any Orwell before so it’s really helpful. Which would you recommend to read first? X
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I like Orwell. Very smart writer.
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I loved 1984 though I think in many ways Brave New World is a more frightening take. My novel is kind of a switch on 1984 – how taking capitalism to extremes ends up at the same kind of place. It’s not the system it’s the people behind the system that make a difference.
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