"Homage to Catalonia" is perhaps the seminal work in English about the Spanish Civil War. Written in Orwell's admirably spare yet wonderfully evocative prose, it's a searingly honest book, almost a rite of passage. It talks of the realities of the trenches and of the politics and of the feelings.
George Orwell's "Homage to Catalonia" was first published in 1938 and is a first-person narrative relating his personal experiences as an infantry soldier fighting on the Republican side of the conflict, from December 1936 through June 1937 in or near Catalonia and Aragon.

In December, 1936, George Orwell leaves his English home for Spain, a country in the midst of a brutal civil war. Like most international observers, Orwell sees the war in Spain as a struggle between democracy and Fascism. He volunteers to fight on the side of the Republicans (a coalition of pro-democracy, leftwing parties) against the Nationalists (a conservative, Catholic, rightwing group led by General Franco).

“Until they become conscious they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious.”

- George Orwell, 1984

George Orwell’s 1984 was first published over seventy years ago, but his vision of a totalitarian society with a government that will do anything to control the narrative is more relevant now than ever before.

In 1984, London is part of the grim superstate of Airstrip One, (which is part of the nation Oceania) which has fallen prey to a perpetual war. There are ‘Telescreens’ everywhere, and anything said, done or even thought - that is slightly out of line is severely reprimanded.
The ‘Thought Police’ will go to any tyrannical means necessary to torture, break, and reduce you to complience before putting you back together again to their own liking.
There is even a new language being enforced called ‘Newspeak’ which drastically limits your range of vocabulary, and therefore self-expression to the point where any thought of dissent would not be possible.
Winston is a threat to the government as he can not be brainwashed as easily as the other pawns in the province due to the fact he has a functional memory and can see through the propaganda.
Together with his beloved Julia, who also longs for a better world with fairness and decency, they join the legendary secret organization ‘The Brotherhood’, putting their lives on the line to rebel against the powers that be.

George Orwell's timeless classic. The animals of Manor Farm are planning a revolution against their human owners. What happens when they gain their freedom unfolds as one of the great works of political satire.

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