George Orwell

1903 – 1950

Eric Arthur Blair, who wrote under the pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, and journalist whose work argued for democratic socialism and against every form of totalitarianism he encountered. His 1945 allegorical novella Animal Farm and his 1949 dystopia Nineteen Eighty-Four entered the English language permanently, contributing terms including "Big Brother," "doublethink," "thoughtcrime," and "Orwellian" to mainstream political vocabulary. Earlier reportage including Down and Out in Paris and London, The Road to Wigan Pier, and Homage to Catalonia documented poverty in Britain and the betrayal of the Spanish revolution by Stalinist forces.

Last checked: May 10, 2026, 1:06 PM