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As the world shuddered on the brink of World War Two, the Spanish Civil War broke out. Set in 1936, this seminal memoir recounts George Orwell's time spent volunteering in the Republican army.
First published in 1938, this is the personal account of Orwell's service in the Spanish communist Workers' Party of Marxist Unification (POUM).
Homage to Catalonia is a fantastically detailed account of an ordinary foot soldier's life in wartime. Writing in defence of democratic socialism, Orwell describes his days training in Barcelona at the height of Catalonia's revolt for change, as well as the trials and dangers he faced fighting on the front lines in Aragon. The early memoir went on to provide the inspiration and motivation for the anti-totalitarian themes that would come to pervade his writing.
About the author
Eric Arthur Blair (1903-1950) was an English novelist, essay writer, critic and journalist born in Bengal, British India. Better known by his pen name, George Orwell, the writer's most famous works include the novels Animal Farm, 1945, and Nineteen Eighty-Four, 1949. His work boldly expresses his opposition to totalitarianism, and he is well-known for weaving social and political commentary into his texts. His influence is still widely seen today, for example, the adjective 'Orwellian' is commonly used to describe an authoritarian idea or social practise.
