1984

“George Orwell” is the pen name of Eric Blair (1903-1950), who was born in Motihari, India, where his father was then working, but by the age of one he was in England, where he was raised and went to Eton, one of the most prestigious boys’ schools in Britain. He joined the Indian Police Service and was sent to Burma, where he came to understand imperialism and oppression intimately. He became a socialist, taught briefly and worked in a bookshop. When he turned to writing about social issues, he used a pen name to protect his family from harsh criticism—although he also said he was never very fond of his name. In 1937 he went to Spain to fight in the Civil War with the United Marxist Workers’ Party. He was wounded in the neck and came back to England. His major works are Nineteen Eighty-Four, and Animal Farm (1945).Below you will find items that are of interest to students of 1984.