Known as one of the most influential writers of the 20th century, Eric Arthur Blair, who rose to prominence under his pen name George Orwell, was an outspoken proponent of democratic socialism and a staunch opponent of totalitarianism.
The English novelist, essayist, journalist and critic, who as a writer produced literary criticism, tunes, fiction and journalistic work, wrote books that are still relevant today in a neo-postmodern world. The author whose work is influential in popular and political culture even today has also given rise to the adjective “Orwellian” – describing totalitarian and authoritarian social practices.
Here are five books by Orwell that prove his relevance even today:
Down and Out in Paris and London (1933): Orwell’s first complete work, published in 1933. It is a two-volume memoir on the theme of poverty in the cities of London and Paris. Following the author after he gave up his job as a police officer in Burma to become a writer, the memoir is a grim look at the social injustices people face.
The Road to Wigan Pier (1937): The first half of this work documents his sociological investigation into the bleak living conditions of the working class in Lancashire and Yorkshire, while the second half is a long essay on his middle-class upbringing and the development of his political conscience, examining British attitudes in doubts are drawn towards socialism. The book grapples with the realities of suffering from depression in the north of England.
Homage to Catalonia (1938): The book is a personal account of his experiences and observations fighting for the Republican Army during the Spanish Civil War.
Animal Farm (1945): The allegorical novella reflects events leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917 and then to the Stalinist era of the Soviet Union and is written from the point of view of farm animals.
Nineteen Eighty Four (1949): The dystopian novel, set in the imagined future, whose themes focus on the risks of governmental force majeure, totalitarianism, and repressive regulation of all individuals and behaviors in society.
