Transcript George Orwell

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 would adopt 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.
• Corporal punishment was
common in the day and possibly
a source of his initial resentment
towards authority.
Schooling
Blair earned a
scholarship to “the
most costly and
snobbish of the
English Public
Schools” Eton
College where he
attended between
1917 and 1921.
Indian Civil Service 1922-1927
• Blair went to Burma (now
Myanmar) to join 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.
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
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.
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.
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,
prophesying a world
perpetually 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.
“During times
of universal deceit,
telling the truth
becomes a
revolutionary act.”
~George Orwell