George Orwell birth anniversary: 5 fascinating facts about the English novelist

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Eric Arthur Blair, famously known as George Orwell is one of the most influential English authors, who is best known for Animal Farm, which is a famous novella that talks about power and corruption.

The literary works of the novelist delve into themes such as totalitarianism, especially in the twentieth century. Orwell didn`t receive any formal education in philosophy, yet his work questioned political philosophy, philosophy of language, and ethics but there is some much more to him that people don`t know about him.

Orwell drew heavily from his own experiences while working on his writings. As the author`s 123rd birth anniversary approaches on June 25, here are five fascinating facts you may not know about him:

Birth

Many may not know but Orwell actually has an Indian connection because he was actually born in Motihari in Bihar in 1903. His father was in the Indian Civil Service, where he oversaw the opium export production to China. When he was three years old, his mother, who was of English and French descent, and grew up in Burma, took him along with his sister to England. He saw his father very little at the age of 8. He described his family background as lower-upper-middle class

From officer to author

Orwell decided to become an author in the year 1927 after quitting the Imperial Police in Burma because he had a fascination for words but this completely shocked his family. Under the pen name of George Orwell, his first works include a book named `Down and Out of Paris and London` known to be a memoir, published in the year 1933, and `Burmese Days` was his second novel, published in the year 1934; both his works dive into social injustice and imperialism.

Literary works

Orwell published nine major books in his lifetime, which included six novels and three fictional works including `Animal Farm` and `1984`. Along with that, he published hundreds of essays, articles and pamphlets, making him a prolific essayist. However, there is more to his works.

Beyond Animal Farm

`Animal Farm` is by far his most famous work, but beyond that, some of his works include `Coming up for Air`, `Homage to Catalonia`, `Nineteen Eighty-Four` or 1984 and `The Road to Wigan Pier.

Death

George Orwell died on January 21 in 1950 at the age of 46. The cause of his death was a massive lung hemorrhage caused by advanced tuberculosis. He was buried at the All Saints` Church in Sutton Courteney with his birth name, and a legacy for many years to come.

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