Taylor Svete

British Literature/ Mrs. Smith

FAQ Research Project

8/29/09

Frequently Asked Questions about George Orwell

* What are George Orwell’s dates and which literary or historical period is he most

associated with?

* What work is George Orwell most famous for and why?

* What literary awards did George Orwell win?

* What work by George Orwell appears in the literature book?

* Why do critics think George Orwell is an important writer?

* What quotation by the author is most meaningful to me, and why?

* Was “George Orwell” his real name or a pseudonym?

* What was George Orwell’s early life like?

* What was George Orwell’s education like?

* Did George Orwell ever marry or have kids?

* How and when did George Orwell die?

What are George Orwell’s dates and which literary or historical period is the author most

associated?

George Orwell was born in Motihari, Bengal, India June 25, 1903 and died January 21, 1950. He

is most associated with London’s literary period of Intermodernism, especially by author Kristin

Bluemel, who wrote George Orwell and the Radical Eccentrics: Intermodernism in Literary

London (2004).

Sources: "George Orwell Life and Works: English Novelist and Essayist, Known for 'Animal

Farm' and '1984' | Suite101.com." Great Writers | Suite101.com. Web. 29 Aug. 2009.

<http://great-writers.suite101.com/article.cfm/george_orwell_brief_bio_and_works>.

Hubble, Nick. "Introduction: Intermodern London." The Literary London Journal. Web. 29 Aug.

2009. <http://www.literarylondon.org/london-journal/intro.html>.

What work is George Orwell most famous for and why?

George Orwell is most famous for his novels Animal Farm (1945) and Nineteen Eighty-Four

(1949). The latter was read by all rising Pre-IB tenth graders at Campbell High School in

preparation for AP British literature. It is his most famous work probably because it is one of his

most controversial. It was also the last book he wrote before he died. Animal Farm contains the

memorable quote of political satire, “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than

others.”

Sources: "George Orwell Life and Works: English Novelist and Essayist, Known for 'Animal

Farm' and '1984' | Suite101.com." Great Writers | Suite101.com. Web. 29 Aug. 2009.

<http://great-writers.suite101.com/article.cfm/george_orwell_brief_bio_and_works>.
What literary awards did George Orwell win?

George Orwell did not win any literary awards that I could find.

What work by George Orwell appears in the literature book?

An excerpt from “Shooting An Elephant” appears in our literature book and as part of the

curriculum, we were required to read Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell.

Why do critics think George Orwell is an important writer?

Some critics, such as John W. Chuckman, do not think Orwell was a very important novelist.

D.J. Taylor on the other hand, wrote a whole book on George Orwell, entitled Orwell: The Life.

He thought Orwell was an important writer because of the influence he had on his audience’s

perspective of modern life.

Sources: Chuckman, John W. "Amazon.com: Orwell: The Life (9780805076936): D. J. Taylor:

Books, REVIEW OF D. J. TAYLOR'S ORWELL THE LIFE." Amazon.com: Online Shopping

for Electronics, Apparel, Computers, Books, DVDs & more. Web. 31 Aug. 2009.

<http://www.amazon.com/Orwell-Life-D-J-Taylor/dp/080507693X>.

What quotation by the author is most meaningful to me, and why?

“Freedom is the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” –George Orwell.

This quote is meaningful to me because sometimes people do not want to hear what I have to say

about certain things, but I am still free to tell the truth.

Was “George Orwell” his real name or a pseudonym?

Eric Arthur Blair is writer George Orwell’s real name. “George Orwell” is a pen name.

Sources: "Biography // George Orwell // www.k-1.com/Orwell." [k1][internetpublishing]

[viennaaustria]. Web. 31 Aug. 2009. <http://www.k-1.com/Orwell/site/about/biography.html>.

What was George Orwell’s early life like?

Eric Arthur Blair (pen name: George Orwell) was born in 1903 in the village of Motihari,

Bengal, India. India was then part of the British Empire. His father , Richard, was an agent of the

Opium Department of the Indian Civil Service there. His mother, Ida Mabel Blair, was eighteen

years younger than her husband. Eric had one older sister, named Marjorie. The Blair’s led a

privileged life although they owned no land and were not very wealthy, and like many middle-

class British families, were totally dependent on the Empire for their prospects.

Sources: "Biography // George Orwell // www.k-1.com/Orwell." [k1][internetpublishing]

[viennaaustria]. Web. 31 Aug. 2009. <http://www.k-1.com/Orwell/site/about/biography.htm

What was George Orwell’s education like?

Eric knew that he wanted to be a writer since at least age six, but the dreary preparatory school,

Eton, that his parents sent him to was not well-suited for an aspiring writer; very little literature

was studied there. He did apprentice himself for different writers he aspired to be like though, for

example, Stern, Swift, and John London.

Sources: "Biography // George Orwell // www.k-1.com/Orwell." [k1][internetpublishing]

[viennaaustria]. Web. 31 Aug. 2009. <http://www.k-1.com/Orwell/site/about/biography.html>.

Did George Orwell ever marry or have kids?

George Orwell’s first wife died in 1945, a year after they adopted a son. Then, in 1946, he

married Sonia Brownell but they had no kids together.

Sources: "Biography // George Orwell // www.k-1.com/Orwell." [k1][internetpublishing]

[viennaaustria]. Web. 31 Aug. 2009. <http://www.k-1.com/Orwell/site/about/biography.html>.

How and when did George Orwell die?

George Orwell passed away January 21, 1950. He died of tuberculosis which he had been

suffering from since 1938.

Sources: "Biography // George Orwell // www.k-1.com/Orwell." [k1][internetpublishing]

[viennaaustria]. Web. 31 Aug. 2009. <http://www.k-1.com/Orwell/site/about/biography.html>.