New Releases by George Orwell

1984 is a dystopian novel set in a totalitarian society under the oppressive rule of a Party led by the enigmatic figure known as Big Brother. The story unfolds in Airstrip One, a province of the Party s superstate, Oceania, where the government controls every aspect of its citizens lives. The protagonist, Winston Smith, works for the Party, altering historical records to match its propaganda. Winston becomes disillusioned with the Party s rigid control and begins to rebel in small, covert ways. He starts a forbidden affair with Julia, a fellow Party member, and reads a banned book that opens his eyes to the Party s manipulation of truth and history. Winston and Julia are eventually caught by the Thought Police, leading to their brutal interrogation and re-education. The novel explores themes of censorship, surveillance, mind control, and the consequences of unchecked government power. 1984 serves as a stark warning about the dangers of authoritarianism and the manipulation of language to control thought. Orwell s portrayal of a bleak and nightmarish future has made 1984 a timeless and thought-provoking classic, resonating with readers for its powerful critique of totalitarianism and its enduring relevance to issues of political control and individual freedom.

This Excellent Collection brings together Orwell''s longer, major books and a fine selection of shorter pieces. With great originality and wit Orwell unfolds his views on subjects ranging from a revaluation of Charles Dickens to the nature of Socialism, from a comic yet profound discussion of naughty seaside postcards to a spirited defence of English cooking. Displaying an almost unrivalled mastery of English plain prose, Orwell''s Books created a unique literary manner from the process of thinking aloud and continue to challenge, move and entertain. This Books created and collected in George Orwell''s Most important Works illuminate the life and work of one of the most individual writers of the XX century - a man who elevated political writing to an art. This Collection included: · 1984 · ANIMAL FARM · A CLERGYMAN''S DAUGHTER · BURMESE DAYS · COMING UP FOR AIR · DOWN AND OUT IN PARIS AND LONDON · HOMAGE TO CATALONIA · KEEP THE ASPIDISTRA FLYING · LOOKING BACK ON THE SPANISH WAR · THE LION AND THE UNICORN · THE ROAD TO WIGAN PIER

"1984 - the novel marking the end of communism." George Orwell''s 1984 revolves around Winston Smith, an office worker who performs censorship duties in Oceania''s Ministry of Truth as a small cog in the wheel of a monstrous state apparatus. For years, doubts have been gnawing at him about the legitimacy of the system in which even a blink of the eye can cost him his life. The novel begins with the first step towards putting this initially purely intellectual resistance into action: Winston opens a diary. He subsequently falls in love with a young female colleague, and together they begin a love affair that, in the dictatorship that invades every aspect of life, is in itself an act of high treason. Even though they have different views on the society they live in, they are united by the rejection of its narrow moral corset and the desire for individual freedom and, not least, a right to love and feel. While Winston understands HOW the machinery of tyranny works, he does not understand WHY the massive effort of its surveillance and repressive apparatus is undertaken. When they decide to seek contact with the underground opposition and eventually end up in the hands of the repression apparatus of the state, Winston learns the true background of Oceania''s society. Until his death, George Orwell was a convinced socialist - all the greater was the effect his work, published in 1949, had on the political left of the time. On the political left, the Soviet Union was seen as the realisation of Marx''s ideas, the workers'' paradise that would free the enslaved masses from their shackles. Orwell was one of the few leftists of his time who dared to shake this narrative. Under the impression of the undeniable terror of Stalinist rule and its cynical, opportunistic cooperation with fascist and capitalist foreign countries, he criticised the hypocrisy and inhumanities of the real communism with Animal Farm and 1984.

The Road to Wigan Pier is a book by the English writer George Orwell, first published in 1937. The first half of this work documents his sociological investigations of the bleak living conditions among the working class in Lancashire and Yorkshire in the industrial north of England before World War II

Nineteen Eighty-Four, often referred to as 1984, is a dystopian social science fiction novel by the English novelist George Orwell. It was published on 8 June 1949 by Secker & Warburg as Orwell''s ninth and final book completed in his lifetime.

The Road to Wigan Pier is a book by the English writer George Orwell, first published in 1937. The first half of this work documents his sociological investigations of the bleak living conditions among the working class in Lancashire and Yorkshire in the industrial north of England before World War II. The second half is a long essay on his middle-class upbringing, and the development of his political conscience, questioning British attitudes towards socialism. Orwell states plainly that he himself is in favour of socialism, but feels it necessary to point out reasons why many people who would benefit from socialism, and should logically support it, are in practice likely to be strong opponents. According to Orwell biographer Bernard Crick, publisher Victor Gollancz first tried to persuade Orwell''s agent to allow the Left Book Club edition to consist solely of the descriptive first half of the book. When this was refused Gollancz wrote an introduction to the book. "Victor could not bear to reject it, even though his suggestion that the ''repugnant'' second half should be omitted from the Club edition was turned down. On this occasion Victor, albeit nervously, did overrule Communist Party objections in favour of his publishing instinct. His compromise was to publish the book with [an introduction] full of good criticism, unfair criticism, and half-truths." The book grapples "with the social and historical reality of Depression suffering in the north of England, - Orwell does not wish merely to enumerate evils and injustices, but to break through what he regards as middle-class oblivion, - Orwell''s corrective to such falsity comes first by immersion of his own body - a supreme measure of truth for Orwell - directly into the experience of misery.

It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. Winston Smith, his chin nuzzled into his breast in an effort to escape the vile wind, slipped quickly through the glass doors of Victory Mansions, though not quickly enough to prevent a swirl of gritty dust from entering along with him. The hallway smelt of boiled cabbage and old rag mats. At one end of it a coloured poster, too large for indoor display, had been tacked to the wall. It depicted simply an enormous face, more than a meter wide: the face of a man of about forty-five, with a heavy black moustache and ruggedly handsome features. Winston made for the stairs. It was no use trying the lift. Even at the best of times it was seldom working, and at present the electric current was cut off during daylight hours. It was part of the economy drive in preparation for Hate Week. The flat was seven flights up, and Winston, who was thirty-nine and had a varicose ulcer above his right ankle, went slowly, resting several times on the way. On each landing, opposite the lift-shaft, the poster with the enormous face gazed from the wall. It was one of those pictures which are so contrived that the eyes follow you about when you move. BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU, the caption beneath it ran.

"Animal Farm" is a novel with regards to a gathering of animals who assume liability for the homestead they live on. The animals get exhausted of their lord, Farmer Jones, so they show him out. When they are liberated from the dictator Jones, life on the homestead is useful for some time and there is potential for a more joyful fate of less work, better training and more food. Nonetheless, inconvenience brews as the pigs, Napoleon and Snowball, battle for the hearts and brains of different animals on the homestead. Napoleon holds onto power forcibly and winds up... "Animal Farm" was composed by George Orwell and distributed in 1945 and it is considered by numerous his best book. This novel is a moral story - despite the fact that it is set on a homestead and stars a cast of livestock, it mirrors the occasions of the Russian upset of 1917. The creatures are for the most part cunning portrayals of Russian government officials, electors and laborers. Orwell utilized the novel to make his perspectives on Russian pioneers heard.

A Clergyman''s Daughter is a 1935 novel by English author George Orwell. It tells the story of Dorothy Hare, the clergyman''s daughter of the title, whose life is turned upside down when she suffers an attack of amnesia. It is Orwell''s most formally experimental novel, featuring a chapter written entirely in dramatic form. A Clergyman''s Daughter is an eloquent and moving portrayal of the human costs of the Great Depression and demonstrates how coming face-to-face with a different world can make you question everything you once believed in. A Clergyman''s Daughter is a 1935 novel by English author George Orwell. Intimidated by her father, Dorothy performs her submissive roles of dutiful daughter and bullied housekeeper. Her thoughts are taken up with the costumes she is making for the church school play, by the hopelessness of preaching to the poor and by debts she cannot pay in 1930s Depression England. Suddenly her routine shatters and Dorothy finds herself down and out in London. She is wearing silk stockings, has money in her pocket and cannot remember her name. Orwell leads us through a landscape of unemployment, poverty and hunger, where Dorothy''s faith is challenged by a social reality that changes her life.

The Non-Fiction of George Orwell includes three memoirs, Down and Out in Paris and London, The Road to Wigan Pier, and Homage to Catalonia which provide an indispensable introduction to the thought and writing of George Orwell. Immediately after deciding to become a writer, the Eton-educated Orwell lived among the paupers and the poorest of working-class labourers in Paris and the East End of London, observing and recording. His first book Down and Out in Paris and London discusses not just the physical life of the poor, but also their inner life. "If you set yourself to it, you can live the same life, rich or poor. You can keep on with your books and your ideas. You just got to say to yourself, "I''m a free man in here" - he tapped his forehead - "and you''re all right." ― George Orwell, Down and Out in Paris and London "People are wrong when they think that an unemployed man only worries about losing his wages; on the contrary, an illiterate man, with the work habit in his bones, needs work even more than he needs money. An educated man can put up with enforced idleness, which is one of the worst evils of poverty ... The man who really merits pity is the man who has been down from the start, and faces poverty with a blank, resourceless mind." ― George Orwell, Down and Out in Paris and London. The Road to Wigan Pier, a highly original and unorthodox political treatise, describes Orwell''s experiences living among the destitute and unemployed miners of northern England, sharing, observing, and describing their lives. It concludes with a passionate description of socialism; a critique of the middle class, who, logically, should support it but are its most vociferous opponents; and a scathing critique of the socialist movements of the time. Robert McCrum describes the book''s essential role in the evolution of "George Orwell" "The upshot of this uniquely strange book was a kind of creative liberation: Eric Blair, who was now unequivocally George Orwell, had found his voice and his identity. For the rest of his active life - barely 10 years - he would write as a British literary socialist. From this declaration of intent come his masterpieces: Homage to Catalonia, Animal Farm and, finally, Nineteen Eighty-Four. It''s arguable that without The Road to Wigan Pier none of these would have been possible." Homage to Catalonia is Orwell''s account of his experiences as a volunteer in the Spanish Civil War. It was a formative period for his political thought and his subsequent writing. He states in Why I Write "Every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been written, directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism and for Democratic Socialism, as I understand it." Homage to Catalonia, "politically and as literature ... is a work of first-class importance, " Geoffrey Gorer. "It shows us the heart of innocence that lies in revolution; also, the miasma of lying that, far more than the cruelty, takes the heart out of it, " Philip Mairet. George Orwell (1903-1950) was a leading British writer of the twentieth century. After studying at Eton as a King''s Scholar he joined the Indian Imperial Police until 1927 when, disgusted by imperialism, he resigned to pursue his boyhood dream of being a writer. Orwell was a prolific journalist, essayist, novelist and nonfiction writer. He is remembered for his prescient writing and his unwavering commitment to truth and clarity of expression. Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four have placed him at the very pinnacle of British literature.

Plongez en VO dans ce chef-d''oeuvre absolu. Pour vous aider, des traductions en marge vous permettront de bien comprendre le texte original. Ce texte en VO fait partie des chefs-d''oeuvre de la littérature anglo-saxonne.

"Burmese Days" is the first novel by English writer George Orwell, published in 1934. Set in British Burma during the waning days of Empire, when Burma was ruled from Delhi as part of British India, it is "a portrait of the dark side of the British Raj". At the centre of the novel is John Flory, "the lone and lacking individual trapped within a bigger system that is undermining the better side of human nature". The novel describes "both indigenous corruption and imperial bigotry" in a society where, "after all, natives were natives—interesting, no doubt, but finally...an inferior people". "Burmese Days" was first published "further afield", in the United States, because of concerns that it might be potentially libelous; that the real provincial town of Katha had been described too realistically; and that some of its fictional characters were based too closely on identifiable people. A British edition, with altered names, appeared a year later. Nonetheless, Orwell''s harsh portrayal of colonial society was felt by "some old Burma hands" to have "rather let the side down". In a letter from 1946, Orwell wrote, "I dare say it''s unfair in some ways and inaccurate in some details, but much of it is simply reporting what I have seen".

George Orwell set out ‘to make political writing into an art’, and to a wide extent this aim shaped the future of English literature – his descriptions of authoritarian regimes helped to form a new vocabulary that is fundamental to understanding totalitarianism. While 1984 and Animal Farm are amongst the most popular classic novels in the English language, this new series of Orwell’s essays seeks to bring a wider selection of his writing on politics and literature to a new readership. In Why I Write, the first in the Orwell’s Essays series, Orwell describes his journey to becoming a writer, and his movement from writing poems to short stories to the essays, fiction and non-fiction we remember him for. He also discusses what he sees as the ‘four great motives for writing’ – ‘sheer egoism’, ‘aesthetic enthusiasm’, ‘historical impulse’ and ‘political purpose’ – and considers the importance of keeping these in balance. Why I Write is a unique opportunity to look into Orwell’s mind, and it grants the reader an entirely different vantage point from which to consider the rest of the great writer’s oeuvre. ''A writer who can – and must – be rediscovered with every age.'' — Irish Times

Including Animal Farm ''Orwell is the most influential political writer of the twentieth century'' New York Review of Books Throughout his life George Orwell aimed, in his words, to make ''political writing into an art''. This collection brings together the best of his matchless political essays and journalism with his timeless satire on totalitarianism, Animal Farm. It includes articles on subjects from the corruption of language to the oppressive British Empire; his masterly wartime Socialist polemic, ''The Lion and the Unicorn''; a wry review of Mein Kampf; a defence of Nineteen Eighty-Four; and extracts from his controversial list of ''Crypto-Communists''. Together these works demonstrate Orwell''s commitment to telling the truth, however unpalatable, and doing so with artistry and humanity. Edited by Peter Davison with an Introduction by Timothy Garton Ash

1984 or Nineteen Eighty-Four: A Novel, is a dystopian novel by English novelist George Orwell. It was published on 8 June 1949. 1984 is one of George Orwell''s most powerful politically charged novels, a beautifully crafted warning against the dangers of a totalitarian society, and one of the most famous novels in the dystopian genre. Winston Smith is a low-ranking member of the ruling party in London whose every move is monitored by telescreens. Everywhere Winston goes, the party''s omniscient leader, Big Brother, watches him. This is an important novel not only for its stark warning against abusive authority (and its somewhat ironic contribution to modern television content), but also for its insights into the power of manipulating language, history, and the psychology of fear and control. These issues are perhaps even more pertinent today than when Orwell penned his novel.

George Orwell was a novelist, essayist and critic best known for his novels Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four. He was a man of strong opinions who addressed some of the major political movements of his times, including imperialism, fascism and communism. Animal Farm was published in 1945 when Orwell, a democratic socialist, was angered at Joseph Stalin for betraying the ideas of the Russian Revolution. In fact, that is the basis of Orwell''s book. The characters in Animal Farm resemble significant people that impacted the Russian Revolution. These characters act similarly to the real people and actions that were done in the past. Through this book, George Orwell exposes Stalin''s true nature and evils using a corrupt pig named Napoleon that eventually dictates the farm. Animal Farm is one of the most influential political texts ever written.

1984, ( Nineteen Eighty-Four) is a must-read classic 20th century novel. It is a futuristic distopian book that focuses on what life would be like under an authoritarian police state that engages in totalitarianism, repressing peoples actions and even engaging in mind control. They even invented a vocabulary to further theIr cause. Originally it was published in 1949 after Orwell''s acclaimed Animal Farm. 1984 and Animal Farm are considered by many to be George Orwell''s best work. Considering 1984 was first published in 1949, many of the concepts and themes that were integral to 1984, at the time of release were considered far-fetched or impossible back then. It makes Orwell like a 20th century Nastradamus who was able to see into the future. Parallels have been drawn between the novel''s subject matter and real life instances of totalitarianism, communism, mass surveillance, and violations of freedom of expression among other themes. As a book that people love to read, 1984 consistly ranks high in the best novel categories. In the article, Seventy Years Later, It''s Still ''1984'', "Matthew Feeney, commentator for the CATO Institute ( CATO . org ), describes 1984 like this:" "1984" is at its core a novel about language; how it can be used by governments to subjugate and obfuscate, and by citizens to resist oppression. Orwell was a master of the English language and his legacy lives on through some of the words he created. Even those who haven''t read "1984" know some of its "newspeak."" It has gained notoriety in the book ranking world: Ranked in Time Magazine''s100 best English-language novels from 1923 to 2005 #13 on Modern Library''s 100 Best Novels since 1900 (1999) #8 on The Big Read survey by the BBC. (2003) Nominated as one of America''s best-loved novels by PBS''s The Great American Read In addition to be popular in book rankings, it also has been responsible for new words entering into the English language. Much like the novel Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, brought the phrase catch-22.into the English language, 1984 has added many as well. The words and (phrases) listed below all come directly or indirectly from the novel 1984 Big Brother Room 101 Thought Police Thought-crime Un-person Memory hole (oblivion) Double-think (simultaneously holding and believing contradictory beliefs) Newspeak (ideological language) Double-speak Group-think "Orwellian" means similar to Orwell''s writings, especially 1984 Not everyone has liked 1984. Over the years it has been a target of many governments and groups that have wanted to ban & censor it. So it also has high ranking for being Banned, Censored or Challenged: #1 on Butler University Most Commonly Banned Books (June 2020) #8 On Time Magazine''s Top Ten Censored Books (2008) #9 in the American Library Association (ALA) Banned & Challenged Classics (2020)

Nineteen Eighty-Four: A Novel, often published as 1984, is a dystopian novel by English novelist George Orwell. It was published on 8 June 1949 by Secker & Warburg as Orwell''s ninth and final book completed in his lifetime. The story was mostly written at Barnhill, a farmhouse on the Scottish island of Jura, at times while Orwell suffered from severe tuberculosis. Thematically, Nineteen Eighty-Four centres on the consequences of government over-reach, totalitarianism, mass surveillance, and repressive regimentation of all persons and behaviours within society The story takes place in an imagined future, the year 1984, when much of the world has fallen victim to perpetual war, omnipresent government surveillance, historical negationism, and propaganda. Great Britain, known as Airstrip One, has become a province of a superstate named Oceania that is ruled by the Party who employ the Thought Police to persecute individuality and independent thinking.[4] Big Brother, the leader of the Party, enjoys an intense cult of personality despite the fact that he may not exist. The protagonist, Winston Smith, is a diligent and skillful rank-and-file worker and Party member who secretly hates the Party and dreams of rebellion. He enters a forbidden relationship with a co-worker, Julia.

"Orwell''s modern hell" - The New Yorker Written in 1948, 1984 was George Orwell''s chilling prophecy about the future. "Arguably the greatest dystopian novel ever written ... a book that everyone should read not just once, but again, every 10 years. It certainly deserves a reread right now." - CNN

《動物庄園》（Animal Farm）亦譯作《動物農場》《動物農庄》，是英國著名作家喬治·奧威爾的重要作品，也是一部政治寓言體小說。故事描述了一場「動物主義」革命的醞釀、興起和最終畸變，於1945年首次岀版。 ◆「鯨歌英文原版」系列圖書第一輯，精選國內讀者耳熟能詳十本名著：《呼嘯山庄》《月亮和六便士》《簡·愛》《老人與海》《1984》《美麗新世界》《人性的弱點》《假如給我三天光明》《動物庄園》《飄》，以國外權威的出版社版本為參照，原版復制，精心編排，力求原汁原味還原外版圖書的風貌。 這十本書文筆優美，閱讀難度不高，非常適合有一定外語閱讀能力的讀者首次入門接觸外國小說。 喬治·奧威爾，英國著名小說家、記者和社會評論家。他的代表作《動物庄園》和《1984》是反極權主義的經典名著。他以敏銳的洞察力和犀利的文筆審視、記錄下他所生活的那個時代，並作出許多超越時代的預言，被稱為 「一代人的冷峻良知」。

Suatu malam, Major, si babi tua yang bijaksana, mengumpulkan para binatang di peternakan untuk bercerita tentang mimpinya. Setelah sekian lama hidup di bawah tirani manusia, Major mendapat visi bahwa kelak sebuah pemberontakan akan dilakukan binatang terhadap manusia; menciptakan sebuah dunia di mana binatang akan berkuasa atas dirinya sendiri. Tak lama, pemberontakan benar-benar terjadi. Kekuasaan manusia digulingkan di bawah pimpinan dua babi cerdas: Snowball dan Napoleon. Namun, kekuasaan ternyata sungguh memabukkan. Demokrasi yang digaungkan perlahan berbelok kembali menjadi tiran di mana pemimpin harus selalu benar. Dualisme kepemimpinan tak bisa dibiarkan. Salah satu harus disingkirkan … walau harus dengan kekerasan. Animal Farm merupakan novel alegori politik yang ditulis Orwell pada masa Perang Dunia II sebagai satire atas totaliterisme Uni Soviet. Dianugerahi Retro Hugo Award untuk novela terbaik (1996) dan Prometheus Hall of Fame Award (2011), Animal Farm menjadi mahakarya Orwell yang melejitkan namanya. [Mizan, Bentang Pustaka, Novel, Klasik, Fenomenal, Terjemahan, Indonesia]

ReviewTrue Agony of a Socialist Orwell is obviously angry at the way Socialism has been distorted by Stalin. Using Animal characters as symbols Orwell honestly mocks and criticizes the Russian leadership under Lenin. It is a very easy to read book giving good perspectives on the Socialist Revolution. --Abhishek Kona Aug 22, 2011Animal Farm is a satirical allegory on the Russian Revolution. Orwell explains it, It is the history of revolution that went wrong. It tells the simple and tragic story of what happens when the oppressed farm rebel to attain freedom from Mr. Jones. It is about their attempt to rule the farm themselves on the basis of equality. The animals had initially aimed to form a utopian society, where each would work according to his capacity, respecting the needs of the others. But, they failed to do so. And, Animal Farm ended up being a dictatorship of the pigs that were the brightest, but did no physical work in reality. The main action of the story stands for The Russian Revolution of 1917 and the early years of the Soviet Union. Animalism is a metaphor for Communism. Manor farm is an allegory of Russia, Mr. Jones is Russian C-Zar, Old Major stands for Karl Marx, and Snowball represents Leo Trotsky. Napolean stands for Stalin, while the dogs are the secret police. The horse, Boxer stands for the working class which works constantly for the greater good while Squealer is the propagandist. The novel is skillfully organized and presents the horrors of communism through simple story-telling. It presents what propaganda and brain washing do to the people living under the dictatorship. How the fickle minded people were swayed easily by the pigs, who managed to reverse the seven commandments and reduce them to Four legs good, two legs better . I would recommend this book to everyone above 14 years of age who has some knowledge about communism or a hint of what happened during the Russian Revolution of 1917. The book is gripping as there is always something happening. It ends with the pigs becoming mush like humans and changing the name of the farm back to the Manor Farm . The ending was sad it shows how power turns comrades into tyrannical dictators. --Diksha Mahajan Aug 14, 2012George Orwell is probably one of the few authors who has more than one book featuring regularly in the all the favorites of most people. In such a short book, we get to experience the entire range of the human emotions - probably characterized by the animals. But, what this book basically makes us realize is the fact that politics is relevant at all times. --Deep Agrawal Mar 2, 2012About the AuthorAbout the Author: The author of Animal Farm is George Orwell. His real name was Eric Arthur Blair. He was a very popular novelist, essayist, critic and journalist. His works spoke out against the social injustice that was prevalent at that time. He was in favour of democratic socialism and was opposed to totalitarianism. He continues to be held in high esteem as one of the most influential voices of his time, who spoke out about the English culture, as it was, during his lifespan.

Sepanjang hidupnya, Winston berusaha menjadi warga negara yang baik dengan mematuhi setiap aturan Partai meski jauh di dalam hati dan pikirannya bersemayam antipati terhadap kediktatoran yang ada di negaranya. Walaupun begitu, Winston tidak berani melakukan perlawanan secara terbuka. Tidak mengherankan, karena Polisi Pikiran, teleskrin, dan mikrofon tersembunyi membuat privasi hanya serupa fantasi. Bahkan, sejarah ditulis ulang sesuai kehendak Partai. Negara berkuasa mutlak atas rakyatnya. Yang berbeda atau bertentangan akan segera diuapkan. 1984 merupakan satire tajam, menyajikan gambaran tentang luluhnya kehidupan masyarakat totalitarian masa depan yang di dalamnya setiap gerak warga dipelajari, setiap kata yang terucap disadap, dan setiap pemikiran dikendalikan. Hingga kini, 1984 merupakan karya penting Orwell yang mengantarkannya ke puncak kemasyhuran. [Mizan, Bentang Pustaka, Masa Depan, Novel, Terjemahan, Satire, Indonesia]

A compilation of personal letters creates an autobiography of the author of "Nineteen Eighty-Four" through his correspondence with other literary luminaries, including T.S. Eliot and Henry Miller, as well as letters to complete strangers.

''An unrivalled picture of the rumours, suspicions and treachery of civil war'' Antony Beevor Every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been written, directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism and for democratic Socialism as I understand it''. Thus wrote Orwell following his experiences as a militiaman in the Spanish Civil War, chronicled in Homage to Catalonia. Here he brings to bear all the force of his humanity, passion and clarity, describing with bitter intensity the bright hopes and cynical betrayals of that chaotic episode: the revolutionary euphoria of Barcelona, the courage of ordinary Spanish men and women he fought alongside, the terror and confusion of the front, his near-fatal bullet wound and the vicious treachery of his supposed allies. A firsthand account of the brutal conditions of the Spanish Civil War, George Orwell''s Homage to Catalonia includes an introduction by Julian Symons.

The downtrodden beasts of Manor Farm oust their drunken human master and take over management of the land. Everyone willingly works overtime, productivity soars, and for one brief, glorious season, every belly is full. Setting out with the highest ideals and the best of intentions, the animals soon discover that the craving for power among some of them leads inexorably to dictatorship, corruption and disillusionment.