Homage to Catalonia

Eric Arthur Blair (1903–1950), more commonly known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English journalist, essayist, critic, and novelist most famous for his novel “Nineteen Eighty-Four” (1949) and allegorical novella “Animal Farm” (1945). His work is characterised by an opposition to totalitarianism and biting social commentary, and remains influential in popular culture today. Many of his neologisms have forever entered the English language, including “Thought Police”, “Big Brother”, “Room 101”, “doublethink”, “thoughtcrime”, and “Newspeak” to name but a few. In “Homage to Catalonia”, Orwell recounts his experiences fighting in the Spanish Civil War on the side of the POUM militia of the Republican army, which would provide the inspiration and motivation for the anti-totalitarian themes that would come to pervade his writing. A fantastically detailed account of an ordinary foot soldier’s life in wartime, “Homage to Catalonia” will appeal to those with an interest in socialism and is not to be missed by fans of Orwell’s seminal work. Other notable works by this author include: “Keep the Aspidistra Flying” (1936) and “Coming Up for Air” (1939). Read & Co. Classics is proudly publishing this memoir now in a new edition complete with the introductory essay “Why I Write”.