The Farm That Talked Back
Animal Farm wasn’t just a tale about pigs. It was a barnyard satire of the Russian Revolution. Napoleon the pig stood in for Stalin, while Snowball represented Trotsky. Orwell turned political commentary into a fable with hooves.

Not Born Orwell
George Orwell was actually Eric Arthur Blair. He chose “George” for its British feel and “Orwell” from a beloved river in Suffolk. The pen name stuck, thankfully, because Animal Farm by Eric Blair doesn’t quite have the same ring.

No Armchair Revolutionary
Orwell joined a militia to fight fascists in Spain, an experience he captured in Homage to Catalonia. He wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty, on or off the page.

Big Brother Is Watching
With 1984, Orwell gave the world “Big Brother,” “Newspeak,” and “doublethink.” His dystopian vision remains hauntingly relevant.

From Cop to Cook
To pay the bills, Orwell wore many hats: colonial police officer in Burma, schoolteacher, bookstore clerk, BBC propagandist, war correspondent, dishwasher in Paris, and even a hop-picker in Kent. He used these roles as fuel for his writing, including his first book, Down and Out in Paris and London.

The Tea Rules
Orwell adored tea. He even wrote an essay with 11 rules for the perfect cup, proving that even dystopian authors crave a good brew.

Writing Through Illness
Orwell wrote 1984 while gravely ill with tuberculosis, finishing the novel on the remote Isle of Jura. He died in 1950 at just 46, but not before leaving a chilling vision of the future.