George Orwell, born Eric Arthur Blair on June 25, 1903, in Motihari, Bihar, British India, was a significant figure in 20th-century literature. Orwell’s early life was marked by his family’s middle-class status. His father was a British civil servant in India, and his mother was of French descent. The family moved to England when Orwell was a child, and he later attended Eton College on a scholarship, where he first began to develop his literary interests.
Early Career and Spanish Civil War Experience
After Eton, Orwell joined the Indian Imperial Police in Burma, a period that profoundly influenced his political consciousness and views on imperialism. He resigned in 1927 to become a writer and adopted his pen name, George Orwell. His early works, including “Down and Out in Paris and London” and “The Road to Wigan Pier,” reflect his experiences with poverty and the working class. Orwell’s participation in the Spanish Civil War was another pivotal moment, deepening his commitment to socialism and opposition to fascism, as depicted in “Homage to Catalonia.”
Literary Success and Major Works
Orwell’s later years were marked by his two most famous novels, “Animal Farm” (1945) and “Nineteen Eighty-Four” (1949), which have left an indelible mark on literature and political thought. “Animal Farm,” a satirical allegory about the corruption of revolutionary ideals, and “Nineteen Eighty-Four,” a dystopian novel about totalitarianism, are celebrated for their insights into the nature of power, authority, and freedom.
Political Beliefs and Writing Style
Orwell’s writing is characterized by lucid prose, awareness of social injustice, opposition to totalitarianism, and support for democratic socialism. Throughout his career, he wrote and spoke about these issues, becoming as well-known for his journalism and essays as for his fiction.
Personal Life and Legacy
Orwell’s personal life was marked by poor health, and he struggled with tuberculosis for many years. He was married twice, first to Eileen O’Shaughnessy, with whom he adopted a son, and later to Sonia Brownell. George Orwell died on January 21, 1950, in London. His work remains influential, and his ideas and terminology, such as “Big Brother” and “Orwellian,” have entered the lexicon, reflecting his enduring impact on culture and political discourse.
Publication Order of Standalone Novels
| Burmese Days | (1934) |
| A Clergyman’s Daughter | (1935) |
| Keep the Aspidistra Flying | (1936) |
| Coming Up for Air | (1939) |
| Animal Farm | (1945) |
| 1984 | (1949) |
Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books
| Down and Out in Paris and London | (1933) |
| The Road to Wigan Pier | (1937) |
| Homage to Catalonia | (1938) |
| A Nice Cup Of Tea | (1946) |
| Dickens, Dali and Others | (1946) |
| Shooting an Elephant | (1950) |
| British Pamphleteers | (1951) |
| Critical Essays | (1951) |
| England Your England and Other Essays | (1953) |
| Selected Essays/Inside the Whale and Other Essays | (1957) |
| Selected Writings | (1958) |
| The Collected Essays, Journalism and Letters | (1961) |
| The Lion and the Unicorn | (1962) |
| Decline of the English Murder and Other Essays | (1965) |
| As I Please, 1943-1945 | (1968) |
| A Collection of Essays | (1970) |
| An Age Like This 1920-1940 | (1971) |
| In Front of Your Nose 1945-1950 | (1971) |
| My Country Right or Left 1940-1943 | (1980) |
| The English People | (1982) |
| The Penguin Essays of George Orwell | (1984) |
| The War Broadcasts | (1985) |
| Orwell The Lost Writings | (1985) |
| War Commentaries | (1985) |
| Orwell: The War Commentaries | (1985) |
| Selected Prose | (1991) |
| The Sayings of George Orwell | (1994) |
| Pages From a Scullion’s Diary | (1995) |
| All Propaganda is Lies | (1999) |
| Facing Unpleasant Facts | (1999) |
| I Belong to the Left | (1999) |
| I Have Tried to Tell the Truth | (1999) |
| It Is What I Think | (1999) |
| Keeping Our Little Corner Clean | (1999) |
| A Kind of Compulsion | (1999) |
| Our Job is to Make Life Worth Living | (1999) |
| A Patriot After All | (1999) |
| Smothered Under Journalism | (1999) |
| Two Wasted Years | (1999) |
| Orwell and Politics | (2001) |
| Orwell and the Dispossessed | (2001) |
| Orwell in Spain | (2001) |
| Orwell’s England | (2001) |
| Orwell: The ‘Observer’ Years | (2003) |
| Why I Write | (2004) |
| Orwell In Tribune | (2007) |
| Books v. Cigarettes | (2008) |
| All Art Is Propaganda | (2008) |
| Orwell: A Celebration | (2009) |
| Narrative Essays | (2009) |
| Diaries | (2009) |
| Such, Such Were the Joys and Other Essays | (2010) |
| A Life in Letters | (2010) |
| Orwell on Truth | (2017) |
| Notes on Nationalism | (2018) |
| Orwell on Freedom | (2018) |
Publication Order of Anthologies
| The Eloquent Essay | (2000) |
| 40 Model Essays | (2005) |
| Empire Tales | (2008) |
| Life Is Short – Art Is Shorter: In Praise of Brevity | (2015) |
| Letters to Change the World: From Pankhurst to Orwell | (2018) |
| Writers: Their Lives and Works | (2018) |