Short Biography

• Born Eric Arthur Blair in Bengal, India, in 1903
• Moved to England the following year with his mother
• Orwell reconnected with his father in 1912, however never formed a strong relationship, for he considered his father a boring conservative
• Wrote his first poem at 4-years-old; first poem published at 11 within local newspaper
• Younger years: Attended St. Cyprian's via academic scholarship, hence his essay "St. Cyprian's"; college: Wellington College & Eton College
• 1922: Joined India Imperial Police Force due to financial privation
• First major work in 1933: Down and Out in Paris in London, published under the pseudonym George Orwell so he wouldn't embarrass his family in the novel's depiction of the poor
• 1936: Married Eileen O'Shaughnessy, though had intimate relations with many women; 1944: Adopted a son whom they named Richard Horatio Blair; 1949 (after O'Shaughnessy's death): Married Sonia Brownell
• 1936: Served in the Spanish Civil War, getting shot in the throat and arm
• 1938: Diagnosed with tuberculosis at a time with no treatment
•  Challenged himself to a multitude of literary works to escape reality
• 1941; Producer at BBC, resigned in 1943