George Orwell Popular Books

George Orwell Biography & Facts

Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950) was an English novelist, poet, essayist, journalist, and critic who wrote under the pen name of George Orwell. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to totalitarianism, and support of democratic socialism.Orwell produced literary criticism, poetry, fiction, and polemical journalism. He is known for the allegorical novella Animal Farm (1945) and the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949). His non-fiction works, including The Road to Wigan Pier (1937), documenting his experience of working-class life in the industrial north of England, and Homage to Catalonia (1938), an account of his experiences soldiering for the Republican faction of the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939), are as critically respected as his essays on politics, literature, language and culture. Born in India, Blair was raised and educated in England from when he was one year old. After school he became an Imperial policeman in Burma, before returning to Suffolk, England, where he began his writing career as George Orwell—a name inspired by a favourite location, the River Orwell. He made a living from occasional pieces of journalism, and also worked as a teacher or bookseller while living in London. From the late 1920s to the early 1930s, his success as a writer grew and his first books were published. He was wounded fighting in the Spanish Civil War, leading to his first period of ill health on return to England. During the Second World War he served as a sergeant in the Greenwich Home Guard (1940–41), worked as a journalist and, between 1941 and 1943, worked for the BBC. The 1945 publication of Animal Farm led to fame during his lifetime. During his final years, he worked on Nineteen Eighty-Four and moved between London and the Scottish island of Jura. Nineteen Eighty-Four was published in June 1949, less than a year before his death. Orwell's work remains influential in popular culture and in political culture, and the adjective "Orwellian"—describing totalitarian and authoritarian social practices—is part of the English language, like many of his neologisms, such as "Big Brother", "Thought Police", "Room 101", "Newspeak", "memory hole", "doublethink", and "thoughtcrime". In 2008, The Times named Orwell the second-greatest British writer since 1945. Life Early years Eric Arthur Blair was born on 25 June 1903 in Motihari, Bengal Presidency (now Bihar), British India into what he described as a "lower-upper-middle class" family. His great-great-grandfather, Charles Blair, was a wealthy slaveowning country gentleman and absentee owner of two Jamaican plantations; hailing from Dorset, he married Lady Mary Fane, daughter of the 8th Earl of Westmorland. His grandfather, Thomas Richard Arthur Blair, was an Anglican clergyman. Orwell's father was Richard Walmesley Blair, who worked as a Sub-Deputy Opium Agent in the Opium Department of the Indian Civil Service, overseeing the production and storage of opium for sale to China. His mother, Ida Mabel Blair (née Limouzin), grew up in Moulmein, Burma, where her French father was involved in speculative ventures. Eric had two sisters: Marjorie, five years older; and Avril, five years younger. When Eric was one year old, his mother took him and Marjorie to England. In 2014 restoration work began on Orwell's birthplace and ancestral house in Motihari. In 1904, Ida Blair settled with her children at Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire. Eric was brought up in the company of his mother and sisters and, apart from a brief visit in mid-1907, he did not see his father until 1912. Aged five, Eric was sent as a day-boy to a convent school in Henley-on-Thames, which Marjorie also attended. It was a Roman Catholic convent run by French Ursuline nuns. His mother wanted him to have a public school education, but his family could not afford the fees. Through the social connections of Ida Blair's brother Charles Limouzin, Blair gained a scholarship to St Cyprian's School, Eastbourne, East Sussex. Arriving in September 1911, he boarded at the school for the next five years, returning home only for school holidays. Although he knew nothing of the reduced fees, he "soon recognised that he was from a poorer home". Blair hated the school and many years later wrote an essay "Such, Such Were the Joys", published posthumously, based on his time there. At St Cyprian's, Blair first met Cyril Connolly, who became a writer and who, as the editor of Horizon, published several of Orwell's essays. Before the First World War, the family moved 2 miles (3 km) south to Shiplake, Oxfordshire, where Eric became friendly with the Buddicom family, especially their daughter Jacintha. When they first met, he was standing on his head in a field. Asked why, he said, "You are noticed more if you stand on your head than if you are right way up." Jacintha and Eric read and wrote poetry, and dreamed of becoming famous writers. He said that he might write a book in the style of H. G. Wells's A Modern Utopia. During this period, he also enjoyed shooting, fishing and birdwatching with Jacintha's brother and sister.While at St Cyprian's, Blair wrote two poems that were published in the Henley and South Oxfordshire Standard. He came second to Connolly in the Harrow History Prize, had his work praised by the school's external examiner, and earned scholarships to Wellington and Eton. But inclusion on the Eton scholarship roll did not guarantee a place, and none was immediately available for Blair. He chose to stay at St Cyprian's until December 1916, in case a place at Eton became available. In January, Blair took up the place at Wellington, where he spent the Spring term. In May 1917 a place became available as a King's Scholar at Eton. At this time the family lived at Mall Chambers, Notting Hill Gate. Blair remained at Eton until December 1921, when he left midway between his 18th and 19th birthdays. Wellington was "beastly", Blair told Jacintha, but he said he was "interested and happy" at Eton. His principal tutor was A. S. F. Gow, Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, who also gave him advice later in his career. Blair was briefly taught French by Aldous Huxley. Steven Runciman, who was at Eton with Blair, noted that he and his contemporaries appreciated Huxley's linguistic flair. Cyril Connolly followed Blair to Eton, but because they were in separate years, they did not associate with each other.Blair's academic performance reports suggest that he neglected his studies, but during his time at Eton he worked with Roger Mynors to produce a college magazine, The Election Times, joined in the production of other publications—College Days and Bubble and Squeak—and participated in the Eton Wall Game. His parents could not afford to send him to a university without another scholarship, and they concluded from his poor results that he would not be able to win one. Runciman noted that he had a romantic idea about the East, and the .... Discover the George Orwell popular books. Find the top 100 most popular George Orwell books.

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  • The Blue Orchard synopsis, comments

    The Blue Orchard

    Jackson Taylor

    On the eve of the Great Depression, Verna Krone, the child of Irish immigrants, must leave the eighth grade and begin working as a maid to help support her family. Her employer tak...

  • George Orwell synopsis, comments

    George Orwell

    Narim Bender

    Are you the smart enough? Do you know the answers to these questions: Who was George Orwell? Why did George Orwell start writing? What is the primary, most significant, occupation...

  • Hell and Good Company synopsis, comments

    Hell and Good Company

    Richard Rhodes

    From the Pulitzer Prize–winning and bestselling author of The Making of the Atomic Bomb, “The most extraordinary book about the Spanish Civil War ever encountered” (The Washington ...

  • George Orwell synopsis, comments

    George Orwell

    Thomas Cushman & John Rodden

    The year 2003 was the 100th anniversary of the birth of George Orwell, one of the most influential authors of the twentieth century. Orwell's books are assigned today in over 60,...

  • George Orwell - 12 books synopsis, comments

    George Orwell - 12 books

    George Orwell

    This fantastic collection includes 12 books by George Orwell (19031950), one of the greatest writers of all times! The titles featured in this collection are: Animal Farm Ninetee...

  • George Orwell synopsis, comments

    George Orwell

    Shmoop

    "Dive deep into the story of George Orwell's life anywhere you go: on a plane, on a mountain, in a canoe, under a tree. Or grab a flashlight and read Shmoop under the covers. Shmoo...

  • And Yet... synopsis, comments

    And Yet...

    Christopher Hitchens

    The seminal, uncollected essayslauded as “dazzling” (The New York Times Book Review)by the late Christopher Hitchens, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller God Is Not Great, s...

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    George Orwell

    Bernard Crick

    A sublime essayist and author of the masterful political novels 1984 and Animal Farm, George Orwell is at least as relevant in the age of Trump and Brexit as he was in his own shor...

  • Animal Farm by George Orwell synopsis, comments

    Animal Farm by George Orwell

    George Orwell

    <p><b>Enter the allegorical world of political satire and social commentary with "Animal Farm" by George Orwell</b>. George Orwell, a visionary writer, in...

  • Fahrenheit 451 synopsis, comments

    Fahrenheit 451

    Ray Bradbury

    Ray Bradbury’s internationally acclaimed novel Fahrenheit 451 is a masterwork of twentiethcentury literature set in a bleak, dystopian future. Ray Bradbury’s internationally acclai...

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    George Orwell

    Louis Gill

    Beaucoup de gens connaissent 1984 pour avoir lu le roman ou vu le film qui en a été fait. Peu savent que son inspiration première est la participation d’Orwell à la guerre civile e...

  • Capital synopsis, comments

    Capital

    Karl Marx & Ben Fowkes

    'A groundbreaking work of economic analysis. It is also a literary masterpice' Francis Wheen, GuardianOne of the most notorious and influential works of modern times, Capital is an...

  • George Orwell synopsis, comments

    George Orwell

    Peter Brian Barry

    George Orwell is sometimes read as disinterested in (if not outright hostile) to philosophy. Yet a fair reading of Orwell's work reveals an author whose work was deeply informed by...

  • Touring The Animal Farm Christian Reflections on a George Orwell Classic synopsis, comments

    Touring The Animal Farm Christian Reflections on a George Orwell Classic

    Richie Cooley

    With the 30year anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, this seemed like a perfect time to review Orwell's satirical masterpiece. This booklet explores the novella, along with ...

  • Churchill and Orwell synopsis, comments

    Churchill and Orwell

    Thomas E. Ricks

    A New York Times bestseller!A New York Times Book Review Notable Book of 2017A dual biography of Winston Churchill and George Orwell, who preserved democracy from the threats of au...

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    George Orwell

    Simon Leys

    Se conoce principalmente a George Orwell como novelista y autor de dos obras maestras, 1984 y Rebelión en la granja. En ellas, Orwell captó magistralmente la esencia del régimen ...

  • 1984 by George Orwell synopsis, comments

    1984 by George Orwell

    George Orwell

    Orwell's most refined piece of work reflecting surveillance in a theoreticallyadvanced world

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    George Orwell

    Gordon Bowker

    'Adds enormously to our understanding of the man' Evening StandardGeorge Orwell was one of the greatest writers England produced in the last century. He left an enduring mark on ou...

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    George Orwell

    Pierre Christin

    Orwell est passé à la postérité grâce à 1984, qu'il a écrit en 1948, et à son invention prophétique de Big Brother, préfigurant, il y a soixantedix ans, le contrôle des m...

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    George Orwell

    Robert Colls

    A journey through the life and thought of George Orwell, from public school satirist and imperial policeman to Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty Four.

  • Collections of George Orwell Essays synopsis, comments

    Collections of George Orwell Essays

    George Orwell

    One of the most thoughtprovoking and vivid essayists of the twentieth century, George Orwell fought the injustices of his time with singular vigour through pen and paper. In this s...

  • Collections of George Orwell Essays synopsis, comments

    Collections of George Orwell Essays

    George Orwell

    One of the most thoughtprovoking and vivid essayists of the twentieth century, George Orwell fought the injustices of his time with singular vigour through pen and paper. In this s...

  • Why Orwell Matters synopsis, comments

    Why Orwell Matters

    Christopher Hitchens

    "Hitchens presents a George Orwell fit for the twentyfirst century." Boston Globe In this widely acclaimed biographical essay, the masterful polemicist Christopher Hitchens assesse...

  • Quartered Safe Out Here synopsis, comments

    Quartered Safe Out Here

    George MacDonald Fraser

    George MacDonald Fraserbeloved for his series of Flashman historical novelsoffers an actionpacked memoir of his experiences in Burma during World War II. Fraser was only 19 when he...

  • George Orwell synopsis, comments

    George Orwell

    Keith Ferrell

    In this first biography of George Orwell for young readers, Keith Ferrell vividly recreates the turbulent life of the noted author and political writer who is known for 1984 and An...

  • The Last Enchantments synopsis, comments

    The Last Enchantments

    Charles Finch

    The Last Enchantments is a powerfully moving and lyrically written novel. A young American embarks on a year at Oxford and has an impassioned affair that will change his life forev...

  • George Orwell synopsis, comments

    George Orwell

    Emmanuel Roux

    George Orwell (de son vrai nom Eric Blair, 19031950) est connu comme un écrivain qui a combattu le totalitarisme dans la première moitié du XXe siècle. Ses deux dernières créations...

  • Just and Unjust Wars synopsis, comments

    Just and Unjust Wars

    Michael Walzer

    “A classic in the field” (New York Times), this is a penetrating investigation into moral and ethical questions raised by war, drawing on examples from antiquity to the present.Jus...

  • George Orwell synopsis, comments

    George Orwell

    John Rodden

    The making of literary reputations is as much a reflection of a writer's surrounding culture and politics as it is of the intrinsic quality and importance of his work. The curr...

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    On Tyranny

    Timothy Snyder

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A “bracing” (Vox) guide for surviving and resisting America’s turn towards authoritarianism, from “a rising public intellectual unafraid to make bold ...

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    George Orwell

    Jeffrey Meyers

    This set comprises 40 volumes covering nineteenth and twentieth century European and American authors. These volumes will be available as a complete set, mini boxed sets (by theme)...

  • ESSAYIST - George Orwell synopsis, comments

    ESSAYIST - George Orwell

    Julie Bain

    This book supports the Study of Critical Texts, Module B, for the NSW Higher School Certificate Course of Advanced English.

  • George Orwell synopsis, comments

    George Orwell

    Stéphane Maltère

    "À une époque de supercherie universelle, dire la vérité est un acte révolutionnaire." George Orwell (19031950), de son vrai nom Eric Arthur Blair, est l'auteur d'une œuvre très ...