George Orwell, A Life in Pictures – A Documentary

George Orwell (Eric Arthur Blair) 1933George Orwell (1903-1950) is the pseudonym of Eric Arthur Blair, an English novelist. He is best known for the allegorical novella Animal Farm (1945) and his dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949), two books which at one point held a record for selling more copies than any two books by any other 20th-century writer. His work is said to be marked by clarity, intelligence, wit, as well opposition to totalitarianism and social injustice, and belief in democratic socialism.

Although no audio or video recording of Orwell exists, a “documentary” from the BBC uses Orwell’s own words spoken by actor Chris Langham, placed in historical context, along with other vintage materials, to vividly depict his life. You may watch this as a series of videos in a Youtube playlist; you may also enjoy reading an article about this video production.

More George Orwell resources

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When will you read George Orwell’s writing in Excellence in Literature?

E1.7 Focus text: Animal Farm; Honors text: 1984
Animal Farm and 1984 by George Orwell This volume contains both the focus text and the honors text.

1984 by George Orwell1984 by George Orwell This volume contains just the honors text, 1984.

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Other Introduction to Literature (E1) videos