Written to be a comment on what happens when socialist dictators take over it extends well beyond. It touched upon what it means to be a person, the rights all should have and a graphic depiction on what it takes for a man to give up his principles. A grand, grand, grand book. One of the best written in a good time.

A predecessor to 1984 (the most awesome book in existence), it also deals with a vision of a dystopia far in the future. Zamyatin depicts a controllist state governed by something as impermeable as mathematics. No emotion is involved and the soul is seen as a disease. Although the situation is much more dispairing than the one shown in 1984, it also offers some hope as one still gets the impression of a resistance outside the green wall. Despite the "numbers" being completely brainwashed, the One State is a society on the brink of collapse. The Guardians are ultra paranoid of any abnormal activity, spying on the citizens more than normal. The book is written in the form of a journal addressed to the people of another planet. It justifies the One State and is an attempt to socialize the other planet's people before a possible invasion by men.

Gives you an idea of his politics, reviews and the presures of an reviewer of both US and GB published titles 5 years prior to his death. Letters, reviews, and timescale which give an idea of the authors concerns, rather than what a biographer interpets it to be be.

Revealing for those who have read most of Orwells output.

If you're planning to do any serious research on George Orwell, this collection is an absolute necessity. Rare clips and literary bursts allow the most complete picture of this literary giant you could dream of. Don't call yourself an Orwell critic without having read all four fat volumes. Really.

I had never heard of the author or the book when I picked up a British edition at a used bookstore. I had hoped that anyone writing a novel on Orwell would possess Orwell's virtues of directness, frankness, and lucidity while offering up some ideas. Caute succeeds on all fronts, and in some matters of technique he is clearly Orwell's superior. He also has a sense of humor and his characters - including Orwell himself - are more nuanced than any Orwell character.

The book's story is about Orwell researching Animal Farm. He finds the book's narrator - a boy named Alex - hanging on at the family farm after his Mum and Dad have both abandoned it. There are pigs and other animals whose names will be familiar to the reader. Alex fills us in on his contributions to both Animal Farm and 1984 and his continuing relationship with Orwell. The last page of Alex's narrative contains a surprise which is perhaps intended to show that - as Orwell says in the novel - Orwell is often wrong.

Caute himself has written 8 other novels and 10 non-fiction books, including several on the left, communism and fellow travellers.

William J. Boerst's Generous Anger is a 112-page biography of George Orwell will appeal to students from elementary grades 6 through middle school: it provides an account of his life, early influences, and the writings which changed his world. Facts read as lively as fiction in this biographical portrait.

I read 1984 for an English class after seeing various drama posters on the book. I was curious. I found it very hard to put the book down. I definatly recommend it to anyone who doesn't want a boring book. I am definatly going to take part in my government. Read it!!

Ingle's book is valuable for its insight into how Orwell was wont to exaggerate his hardships early in life as well as his attempts to record it as it *felt*. As a feminist I of course deplore Orwell's lack of sensitivity to Women and their struggles for suffrage, for political rights, and the right to own their own bodies. Nowhere does Orwell make clear that he is fighting for the rights of women, and this cannot be forgotten. We must also note that he continues to enjoy popularity among conservatives, a fact lost upon no self-respecting radical. I suppose that while the rest of us are challenging the assumptions of the colonialist mindset, white male writers of the past such as Orwell (who once slapped 'coolies' when losing his temper) are no longer useful in our examiniation of imperialist paradigms. For a contemporary perspective of the incredible variety and richness of post-colonial discourse, we need to turn to more radical and transgressive writers, such as Mary Daly, bell hooks, Ishmael Reed, and others. Orwell continues to accumulate dust and conservative praise, though we should continue to mine his works for their telling inconsistencies.

Although it is written for younger readers, this is an excellent, short introduction to George Orwell's life and works. I am an adult, but I appreciate relatively brief, clear biographies like this. With this background, one is better prepared to read Orwell's own writings, or even fuller biographies about him. I must say that I was amazed by the facts of his life story and by his determined pursuit of experiences that would help him become a writer.

This book is especially useful for students who need concise background information about Orwell for writing term papers. -WGL

I was given this book as a gift 10 years ago. I have worn out that copy and am back for another.It is a collection of essays of an ordinary man who realises he is living in extraordinary times. The differencs between expectations and reality are so vast and closing so quickly Inside the dying superpower that is Britian in the between war era,it is difficult for a sane man to remain morally upright. His gritty essays deftly cut away to what is good and enduring in the human condition by castigating his targets with the most elegant ironies put to paper. While other brilliant people may have done so, Somehow he does this with compassion,wit and humour.