George Orwell

• Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist and journalist. 

• His work is marked by clarity, intelligence and wit, awareness of social injustice, opposition to totalitarianism, and belief indemocratic socialism.

• Considered perhaps the 20th century's best chronicler of English culture, Orwell wrote literary criticism, poetry, fiction and polemicaljournalism. 

• He is best known for the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949) and the allegorical novella Animal Farm (1945), which together have sold more copies than any two books by any other 20th-century author. 

• His book Homage to Catalonia (1938), an account of his experiences in the Spanish Civil War, is widely acclaimed, as are his numerous essays on politics, literature, languageand culture. 

• In 2008, The Times ranked him second on a list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945".

• Orwell's work continues to influence popular and political culture, and social practices.