The articles collected in George Orwellâs Essays illuminate the life and work of one of the most individual writers of this centuryâa man who elevated political writing to an art. This outstanding collection brings together Orwellâs longer, major essays and a fine selection of shorter pieces that includes âMy Country Right or Left,â âDecline of the English Murder,â âShooting an Elephant,â and âA Hanging.â
With great originality and wit, Orwell unfolds his views on subjects ranging from a revaluation of Charles Dickens to the nature of Socialism, from a comic yet profound discussion of naughty seaside postcards to a spirited defense of English cooking. Displaying an almost unrivalled mastery of English plain prose, Orwellâs essays created a unique literary manner from the process of thinking aloud and continue to challenge, move, and entertain.
Eric Arthur Blair (1903-1950), better known by his pen-name, George Orwell, was born in India, where his father worked for the Civil Service. An author and journalist, Orwell was one of the most prominent and influential figures in twentieth-century literature. His unique political allegory Animal Farm was published in 1945, and it was this novel, together with the dystopia of Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949), which brought him world-wide fame. His novels and non-fiction include Burmese Days, Down and Out in Paris and London, The Road to Wigan Pier and Homage to Catalonia.
Claire Bloom gained international fame in 1951 with her screen debut in Charles Chaplinâs motion picture Limelight. Among her many memorable films are Richard III, The Haunting, Look Back in Anger, and A Dollâs House.
Alex Hyde-White is an actor and a producer of two films and hundreds of audiobooks thru his label Punch Audio.