George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair 1903-1950

Biographical Information June 25, 1903-January 21, 1950 ~~ Place of Birth: Motihari, India (now Bihar) Place of Death: London, England Nationality: British Best known for his satirical novels Animal Farm Nineteen Eighty-four.

Biographical Information ….continued He was the son of Ida Mabel née Limouzin (1875–1943) and Richard Walmesley Blair (1857–1938). In 1936 Blair and once student of J.R.R. Tolkien student Eileen O'Shaughnessy (1905-1945) married. In 1944 they adopted a son Richard Horatio.

Early Life & Schooling At the age of one Blair and his mother settled in England; his father joined them in 1912. At the age of five, Blair entered the Anglican Parish School of Henley-on-Thames which he attended for two years before entering the prestigious St. Cyprian’s school in Sussex. His childhood dream: “From a very early age, perhaps the age of five or six, I knew that when I grew up I should be a writer.” His pen name: George “sounds solidly English” and Orwell is the name of “a river in Suffolk, England” Corporal punishment was common in the day and possibly a source of his initial resentment towards authority. Grew up “lower-upper-middle class” “Felt inferior to upper class boys at school” Orwell would later write about his unfavorable experiences there in Such, Such Were the Joys.

Indian Civil Service 1922-1927 Blair went to Burma (now Myanmar) to join the Indian Imperial Police. Served in Burma with the Indian Imperial Police During the next five years, he grew to love the Burmese and resent the oppression of Imperialism and decided to become a writer instead. Quit because he hated the racism “I hate violence and don’t believe in politics; the only major remedy remaining is education.”

Paris and London 1928-1936 In the first 6 months after his decision, Blair went on what he thought of as an expedition to the East End of London to become acquainted with the poor people of England. As a base, he rented a room in Notting Hill. In the spring, he rented a room in a working-class district of Paris

Career Path Chose to live in poverty Worked as a dishwasher Wrote Down and Out in Paris and London Exposed harsh working conditions of the poor Investigated England’s coal-mining industry Wrote The Road to Wigan Pier Exposed terrible conditions of the miners

Spanish Civil War In July 1936 the Spanish Civil War broke, and Orwell went to Spain. After his arrival in Barcelona, he joined the militia of the POUM (Partido Obrero de Unificacion Marxista) and served with them in action in January 1937.

Spanish Civil War He transferred to the British Independent Labour Party Contingent serving with the POUM militia and was wounded. His experiences in Spain had made him into a revolutionary Socialist.

Political Agenda Grew to hate a “class system” Became a socialist Socialism All goods in a country are shared with others No one has more than others For example, “You have two cows. The government takes one and gives it to your neighbor.” This experience made him begin to hate Communism. He then gravitated toward British Socialism. During WWII, he served as a British sergeant and a journalist for the BBC.

World War II After World War II began, Orwell wanted to join the military. The Army, however, rejected him as physically unfit, but later he served for a period in the home guard and as a fire watcher. The Orwells moved to London in May 1940.

World War II In early 1941 he commenced writing "London Letters" for Partisan Review. In August he joined the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) as a producer in the Indian section. He remained in this position until 1943.

Orwell as Social Commentator As Orwell wrote about his wartime experiences, he emerged as someone willing to question any group’s ideology. Animal Farm Part of Orwell’s inspiration to write this book was his witnessing a boy whipping a horse. “It struck me that if only such animals became aware of their strength we should have no power over them, and that men exploit animals in much the same way as the rich exploit the [worker].”

1943 The year 1943 was an important one in Orwell's life for several reasons. His mother died in March. He left the BBC to become literary editor of the Tribune. The most important event occurred late that year, when he commenced the writing of Animal Farm. Orwell had completed this satire by February 1944.

Final Years In 1946, he settled on Jura off the coast of Scotland Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949) is an elaborate satire on modern politics, forecasting a world continually laid waste by warring dictators. Orwell entered a London hospital in September 1949 and the next month married Sonia Brownell. He died in London on Jan. 21, 1950. .

“Writing a book is a long, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven by some demon whom one can neither resist or understand.”

“During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.” ~George Orwell