George Orwell: A Brief Biography

Early Life

• Born as Eric Arthur Blair on June 25th, 1903, in India.
• Raised in England with his sister.
• Father worked for Britain's Civil Service.
• Began boarding school in 1911 as a scholarship student.
  • Struggled socially, found solace in books.
• Won a scholarship to Eton Boarding School.

Career Beginnings

• Post-graduation couldn't afford university.
• Moved to Burma (now Myanmar) to work for the Indian Imperial Police.
• Returned to England in 1927.

Literary Career

• Adopted the pseudonym George Orwell.
• Published memoir "Down and Out in Paris and London" in 1933.

Political Involvement

• Embraced socialism and wrote about the working class.
• Joined the Workers Party of Marxist Unification.
• Participated in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939).
  • Fought between nationalist rebels (backed by fascists and Nazis) and socialist Republican government (supported by European countries).
  • Was wounded by a fascist sniper.
  • Communists labeled him and comrades as traitors, forcing him to secretly escape to London.

World War II

• Worked for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) producing propaganda.
  • Disliked this role, possibly inspiring the Ministry of Truth in "1984".

Major Works

• Animal Farm published in 1945.
  • Allegory with pigs representing Russian Revolution leaders.
• 1984 published in 1949, gained critical acclaim and brought prosperity.

Death and Legacy

• Died in London on January 21st, 1950.
• Only two compilations of work published during his lifetime.
• Numerous collections released posthumously.