George Orwell: Battling Big Brother (2000)
From Oxford University Press:
George Orwell (1903-1950) is remembered mainly as the author of two of the most powerful, cogent social critiques ever written: Animal Farm (1945) and 1984 (1948). Less known is the turbulent life story of the popular novelist, from his birth in India as Eric Arthur Blair to his struggle to complete 1984 while suffering from tuberculosis, the disease that would kill him two years after the book’s publication. An original, independent spirit, Orwell chose an unusual career for an Eton graduate–he joined the Indian Imperial Police in Burma.
Five years later, he came back to Europe and lived in both Paris and London, investigating the lives of the underprivileged and often sharing their experiences firsthand by living as a tramp. He fought against Fascism in the Spanish Civil War and simultaneously honed his writing skills while working as a journalist. Eventually he turned to writing as a full-time occupation, drawing on his varied experiences to recreate the precise details for which his novels are famous. Tanya Agathocleous’s concise biography is enhanced by sidebars and picture captions which include numerous excerpts from Orwell’s journalistic and literary writings. A final chapter explores Orwell’s cultural legacy–his lasting contributions to freedom of thought throughout the world.
Reviews
Sober prose traces the life of Eric Blair, who wrote under the pseudonym George Orwell. The book examines his political beliefs, his career as a journalist, and the literary success he achieved near the end of his brief life as the author of Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-four. Some of his writings are excerpted in this volume illustrated with black-and-white photos.
Horn Books
This entry in the Oxford Portraits series offers a well-written, concise biography of Orwell’s contradictory, fascinating life. Beginning with Orwell’s young years as Eric Arthur Blair, the book traces his elite education, his first journalistic endeavors, his experiences in the Spanish Civil War and as a civil servant in Asia, work for the BBC, and, of course, his body of literature. Throughout, the author chronicles Orwell’s passionate concern with social injustice, leading up to the novels that made him famous, and includes plenty of details about Orwell’s family life that will interest readers. The engaging text is enhanced with excerpts from Orwell’s works, as well as good-quality photos, and other visuals, such as a reproduction of a manuscript page from 1984. A brief conclusion notes evidence of Orwell’s continuing influence in our language and media. An absorbing biography for report writing or personal interest.
Gillian Engberg, Booklist