Eric Arthur Blair (1903—1950), more commonly known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English journalist, essayist, critic, and novelist most famous for his novel "Nineteen Eighty-Four" (1949) and allegorical novella "Animal Farm" (1945). His work is characterised by an opposition to totalitarianism and biting social commentary, and remains influential in popular culture today. Many of his neologisms have forever entered the English language, including "Thought Police", "Big Brother", "Room 101", "doublethink", "thoughtcrime", and "Newspeak" to name but a few. Orwell's first novel, "Burmese Days" (1934) is set in British Burma during the last days of the British Empire at a time when the country was governed from Delhi. Illustrating the darker side of the British Raj, it examines the corruption and bigotry well-known to Orwell, who served as a police officer from 1922 to 1927 in the Indian Imperial Police force in Burma. Other notable works by this author include: "Keep the Aspidistra Flying" (1936) and "Coming Up for Air" (1939). Read & Co. Classics is proudly publishing this novel now in a new edition complete with the introductory essay "Why I Write".
