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George Orwell (1903–1950)

Eric Arthur Blair chose the pen name George Orwell and spent his short life writing about poverty, imperialism, and the corruption of political language. He fought in the Spanish Civil War, took a bullet through the throat, and came home to write Homage to Catalonia. Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four made him famous. He died of tuberculosis at forty-six. His prose is plain, precise, and designed to make lying harder. That remains his greatest achievement.

Concepts

authenticity, conformity, freedom, love, meaning, oppression, praxis, rebellion, totalitarianism

Quotes (6)

“If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face ...” — Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949)
“In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” — Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949)
“Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted...” — Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949)
“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” — Animal Farm (1945)
“The essence of being human is that one does not seek perfection, that one is ...” — Reflections on Gandhi (1949)
“Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respect...” — Politics and the English Language (1946)