Part 1
"George Orwell was the wintry conscience of a generation..."
"Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist. His work is marked by keen intelligence and wit, a profound awareness of social injustice, an intense opposition to totalitarianism, a passion for clarity in language, and a belief in democratic socialism." -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Orwell
Best known for his works Animal Farm and 1984, Orwell's Socialism was solidified during the Spanish Civil War, in which he fought against the fascist general Francisco Franco. He later wrote a book about it called Homage to Catalonia - a gritty account, and one that further establishes Orwell as a total bad ass.
Of course, what Orwell meant by Socialism is very different than the blustery rhetoric thrown around in this country during election cycles. To hear what each side says about the other now, it would seem, ironically, that Orwell himself was guilty of double think, the act of simultaneously accepting two mutually contradictory beliefs as correct: "...he once described himself as a Tory socialist, someone, that managed to fuse conservative ideas (about patriotism, for example) with radical ones (about the equitable distribution of wealth, for example)."
Unfortunately Orwell had health problems throughout his life, and died young, at the age of 47. What he left was an impressive legacy of essays on language and politics, novels on totalitarianism and fascism, and a hatred for inequality and dishonesty.
Suggested reading list:
1984
Animal Farm
Politics of the English Language
Homage to Catalonia
Down and Out in Paris and London
A Collection of Essays
Stay tuned for our next Notable Socialist of History!