George+Orwell+Biography

George Orwell was born on June 25th, 1903 in Bengal, India. Orwell’s original name was Eric Arthur Blair, but he had it changed to be named after the Orwell River in East Anglia. He and his mother moved to England when George was one year old. While in England, Orwell went to the Anglican Parish School as a young boy. He then sent to St. Cyprian’s School in Sussex. While at St Cyprian’s, Orwell wrote his first poem, “Awake! Young Men of England.”

In 1928, Orwell moved to Burma to join the Indian Imperial Police. While in the service, Orwell began to appreciate literature and began writing his own short stories and essays. His first Novel, “Burmese Days,” was published and sold in the United States in 1934. In 1936, George went to Spain to do a report on the Spanish Civil War. He joined the Lenin Division of Barcelona to assist in fighting the Nationalist Army. On May 12th, 1937, Orwell was struck by a sniper bullet, which paralyzed him on the left side of his body and he lost his voice temporarily.

George Orwell returned to England in 1938. He wrote about his experiences in the Spanish Civil War in his book titled "Homage to Catalonia." Orwell was hired by The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in 1941. His job was to write scripts for commentary on World War II. He worked for the BBC for two years as well as working for the "Observer" Newspaper.

In 1945, Orwell wrote and published "Animal Farm," one of the most famous books in Britain at the time. It was also one of the most disputed and had many critics talking. The novel's main focus was on the communist revolution in Russia. Orwell wrote his last book entitled "1984" in 1948. Yevgeni Zamyatin inspired Orwell with his book "We," which Orwell used as a base setting for "1984." The book was about the threat of government takeover in the future. George Orwell died from tuberculosis on January 21st, 1950.