Thursday, May 9, 2013

Cat Thursday




I go out on a limb to use George Orwell as my author with his cat.  He is, at best, a very controversial figure in 20th century literature.  He was a cynical, angry man who learned life's lessons in ways that most of us today are protected from or just simply ignore the existence of.  I read "Animal Farm" in college and it triggered interesting debate in my literature class ... I have always remember that book and some of the views put forth by Orwell.  In today's world some of his famous quotes are so right on if you have a liberal mind set (which I do) that it is scary that he is so prophetic ... It makes taking another look at "1984"  and "Animal Farm" a must. 

George Orwell
Orwell was a British journalist and author, who wrote two of the most famous novels of the 20th century 'Animal Farm' and 'Nineteen Eighty-Four'.
Orwell was born Eric Arthur Blair on 25 June 1903 in eastern India, the son of a British colonial civil servant. He was educated in England and, after he left Eton, joined the Indian Imperial Police in Burma, then a British colony. He resigned in 1927 and decided to become a writer. In 1928, he moved to Paris where lack of success as a writer forced him into a series of menial jobs. He described his experiences in his first book, 'Down and Out in Paris and London', published in 1933. He took the name George Orwell, shortly before its publication. This was followed by his first novel, 'Burmese Days', in 1934.

An anarchist in the late 1920s, by the 1930s he had begun to consider himself a socialist. In 1936, he was commissioned to write an account of poverty among unemployed miners in northern England, which resulted in 'The Road to Wigan Pier' (1937). Late in 1936, Orwell travelled to Spain to fight for the Republicans against Franco's Nationalists. He was forced to flee in fear of his life from Soviet-backed communists who were suppressing revolutionary socialist dissenters. The experience turned him into a lifelong anti-Stalinist.

Between 1941 and 1943, Orwell worked on propaganda for the BBC. In 1943, he became literary editor of the Tribune, a weekly left-wing magazine. By now he was a prolific journalist, writing articles, reviews and books.

In 1945, Orwell's 'Animal Farm' was published. A political fable set in a farmyard but based on Stalin's betrayal of the Russian Revolution, it made Orwell's name and ensured he was financially comfortable for the f© 2013 A+E Networks. All rights reserved.irst time in his life. 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' was published four years later. Set in an imaginary totalitarian future, the book made a deep impression, with its title and many phrases - such as 'Big Brother is watching you', 'newspeak' and 'doublethink' - entering popular use. By now Orwell's health was deteriorating and he died of tuberculosis on 21 January 1950.
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7 comments:

Anonymous said...

An interesting choice of author. I have read his books many years ago, but still recall them.

Melissas Eclectic Bookshelf said...

Great choice of author!

Edna B said...

This was very interesting and informative. I read the books many years ago, but never read up on the author. Have a wonderful day my friend, Hugs, Edna B.

Elephant's Child said...

Thank you. Yes, it is frightening just how prophetic he was. And I love (which I hadn't known) that he was also owned by (at least one) cat.

Kate Campbell said...

I love the cat picture. Even the most depressed or cynical of us, find something to share with a cat. Definitely one of my favourites.
I did both Animal Farm and 1984 when I was at school. Then I taught Animal Farm as a high school English teacher. Later when I homeschooled my kids, I did Animal Farm with my daughter and 1984 with my son.

The Queen Jester said...

I never knew much about him, but now I'm feeling a desire to reread those books again...by choice and not because it was assigned. So much of what happened in high school seems to have just leached out as being unimportant and I find myself reaching back to some of the old classics and enjoying them more now that I'm over 60.

Michelle Stockard Miller said...

Thank you for sharing this, Andrea. I did not know all this about him. I have both his books and I even started 1984 before, but had to set it aside...not due to dislike...just something came up. Anyway, I am very liberal minded so I will have to check out some of his quotes. So, do you think the kitty peeking up behind him was his cat? I like to think that he was a cat lover, like us. =O)

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