Renowned writer George Orwell has died, at 46, after a three-year battle with tuberculosis. Until recently, news had suggested he was improving. On Friday morning, 21 January 1950, he spoke for hours with a friend about future plans. Tragically, he suffered a fatal hemorrhage later that day in a London hospital.
Despite his illness, Orwell stayed passionate about writing. He completed his final novel, 1984, largely during hospital stays. Like Animal Farm, the book criticized the Communist system. It earned him critical acclaim and a £357 award from the Partisan Review for the year’s most significant literary work.
Early life and pen name
George Orwell was born Eric Arthur Blair in June 1903. His family worked as civil servants in India. To avoid embarrassing them, he adopted the pen name “Orwell,” inspired by the River Orwell near his parents’ home in Suffolk.
Orwell drew much of his early writing from personal experiences of poverty, which contrasted with his privileged background. He lived as a tramp in London’s East End and worked as a dishwasher in Paris. These experiences inspired his first book, Down and Out in London and Paris (1933).
Rise to fame
Orwell published his first novel, Burmese Days, in 1934. After fighting for socialist forces in the Spanish Civil War, he wrote Homage to Catalonia (1938).
He gained global fame with Animal Farm, published in 1945. Seeking privacy, he moved to Jura, a Scottish island. Unfortunately, the move worsened his tuberculosis.
Writing 1984
Orwell began writing 1984 after leaving the BBC World Service in September 1943. Frustrated with wartime censorship, he focused on a novel about totalitarian control. Terms from the book, such as “Big Brother,” entered everyday language. The novel later became a film in 1984.
George Orwell’s work continues to resonate today, shaping discussions about politics, surveillance, and freedom of speech. Terms from his novels, like “Big Brother” and “Orwellian,” describe oppressive governments and intrusive monitoring.
1984 and Animal Farm remain widely read, studied in schools, and referenced in debates about censorship, propaganda, and human rights. His warnings about totalitarianism and the manipulation of truth remain strikingly relevant in the digital age, cementing his place as one of the most influential writers of the 20th century.
Also read: ON THIS DAY: Wannsee Conference on Nazi ‘Final Solution’ (1942)
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