• HOME
  • Media
  • About Michael
  • The Books
  • What People are Saying
  • News & Events
  • Contact
2015
06.05

George Orwell’s “Nineteen Eighty-Four” was Published (June 6, 1949)

Category: This Week in Literary History / Tag: British novelists of the 20th century, George Orwell, George Orwell published Nineteen Eighty-Four, Nineteen Eighty-Four, This week in literary history / Add Comment

This week (June 5-11) in literary history – Novelist Ken Follett was born (June 5, 1949); Ray Bradbury died (June 5, 2012); George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four was published (June 6, 1949); Novelist Louise Erdrich was born (June 7, 1954); Thomas Paine died (June 8, 1809); Crime novelist Patricia Cornwell was born (June 9, 1956); Leo Tolstoy, author of War and Peace sets off on pilgrimage to monastery (June 10, 1881); Maurice Sendak, author of Where the Wild Things Are was born (June 10, 1928); Novelist William Styron was born (June 11, 1925)

Highlighted Story of the Week –

On June 6, 1949, George Orwell’s, Nineteen Eighty-Four, a novel of a dystopian future, was published. The novel’s all-seeing leader, known as “Big Brother,” becomes a universal symbol for intrusive government and oppressive bureaucracy.

George Orwell was the pen name of Eric Blair, who was born on June 25, 1903 in India. The son of a British civil servant, Orwell attended school in London and won a scholarship to the elite prep school Eton, where most students came from wealthy upper-class backgrounds, unlike Orwell. Rather than going to college like most of his classmates, Orwell joined the Indian Imperial Police and went to work in Burma in 1922. During his five years there, he developed a severe sense of class guilt; finally in 1927, he chose not to return to Burma while on holiday in England.

Orwell, choosing to immerse himself in the experiences of the urban poor, went to Paris, where he worked menial jobs, and later spent time in England as a tramp. He wrote Down and Out in Paris and London in 1933, based on his observation of the poorer classes, and in 1937 his Road to Wigan Pier documented the life of the unemployed in northern England. Meanwhile, he had published his first novel, Burmese Days, in 1934.

Orwell became increasingly left wing in his views, although he never committed himself to any specific political party. He went to Spain during the Spanish Civil War to fight with the Republicans, but later fled as communism gained an upper hand in the struggle on the left. His barnyard fable, Animal Farm (1945), shows how the noble ideals of egalitarian economies can easily be distorted. The book brought him his first taste of critical and financial success. Orwell’s last novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four, brought him lasting fame with its grim vision of a future where all citizens are watched constantly and language is twisted to aid in oppression. Orwell died of tuberculosis on January 21, 1950 and was buried at the All Saints Churchyard in Sutton Courtenay, Oxfordshire, England.

Check back every Friday for a new installment of “This Week in Literary History.”

Michael Thomas Barry is the author of six nonfiction books that includes the award winning Literary Legends of the British Isles and America’s Literary Legends.

Comments are closed.

  • California's Deadly Women

    Murder and Mayhem in the Golden State 1850–1950


      Buy from Amazon
      Buy from Schiffer

      • California Crime

        In the Company of Evil Thirty Years of California Crime, 1950-1980


          Buy from Amazon
          Buy from Schiffer

        • America's Literary Legends

          America's Literary Legends: The Lives & Burial Places of 50 Great Writers


            Buy from Amazon
            Buy from Schiffer

          • Short Story

            Once in a Blue Moon

              Buy from Amazon

            • Literary Legends

              The Lives & Burial Places of 50 Great Writers

                Buy from Amazon
                Buy from Barnes and Noble
                Buy from Schiffer

            • Great Britain's Royal Tombs

              A Guide to the Lives and Burial Places of British Monarchs

                Buy from Amazon
                Buy from Barnes and Noble
                Buy from Schiffer

            • Murder and Mayhem

              52 Crimes that Shocked Early Califonia

                Buy from Amazon
                Buy from Barnes and Noble
                Buy from Schiffer

            • Fade to Black

                 

                Buy from Amazon
                Buy from Barnes and Noble
                Buy from Schiffer Books

            • Final Resting Places


                 

                Buy from Amazon
                Buy from Barnes and Noble
                Buy from Schiffer Books

            • Reviews and Testimonials

              "This is an enjoyable read offering more then the interesting anecdotes and history so well described by Michael Barry, but an opportunity for loyal fans to pay their respects to those they love and admire. Thank you Michael for your gift and I hope others enjoy it as much as I have."

              -Celeste Holm, winner of the Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 1948

              Read More

            • Newsletter Sign-Up

              Sign up for our newsletter to receive updates and information about upcoming events.

MichaelThomasBarry ©2009. All rights reserved.                                                                                      Created by SmartAuthorSites.com ... Websites for Authors