George Orwell

(1903-1950)

Born Eric Arthur Blair, Orwell was an English novelist, best known for "Animal Farm" and "1984."

"Animal Farm," set on a barnyard with animals as the characters, is Orwell's expression of anti-Sovietism. "1984" is Orwell's interpretation of the future. He saw it as having an omnipresent demagogue known as "Big Brother."

Orwell also wrote "Down and Out in Paris and London," after having lived among the lower classes in Europe. Orwell later wrote on his dread for communism in "Homage to Catalonia."

A Reader's Guide to Twentieth Century Writers