Writer · 1903 – 1950

George Orwell

Little-Known Facts

  • He fought against fascism in the Spanish Civil War, where he was shot in the throat.
  • He coined or popularized 'Big Brother', 'Newspeak', 'doublethink' and 'thoughtcrime'.

Myths & Misconceptions

Was Orwell against socialism?

No — he was a democratic socialist; his target was totalitarianism, especially Stalinism, which he saw as a betrayal of socialist ideals.