A book review written by: Lee Sonogan
(1945) Satire, political satire
“His answer to every problem, every setback was “I will work harder!” —which he had adopted as his personal motto.”
― George Orwell, Animal Farm
My second favourite George Orwell book. The novella is a dystopian animal fable/story. The point of view of the book is told by the common animals of Animal Farm. They are referred to as the third person plural as “they”. The story is said to be set during the Russian Revolution (1917-1945). There is many political themes/topics with conflicts in this story. It is structured in such a way that the meaning behind the words makes the story more interesting and ironic.
Animal Farm is the only work by Orwell in which the author does not appear as a narrator or major character; it is the least overtly personal of all of his writings. The anonymous narrator of the story is almost completely neutral, notable for no individual idiosyncrasies or biases.
Orwell, a democratic socialist, was a critic of Joseph Stalin and hostile to Moscow-directed Stalinism, an attitude that was critically shaped by his experiences during the Spanish Civil War. The Soviet Union, he believed, had become a brutal dictatorship, built upon a cult of personality and enforced by a reign of terror. In a letter to Yvonne Davet, Orwell described Animal Farm as a satirical tale against Stalin.
Orwell had a hard time publishing the book. Publishers feared that the book will break the fragile alliance between the US, UK and the USSR. In current popular culture, Animal Farm has been referenced in music, television, video games and more. In music Pink Floyd’s 1977 album ‘Animals’, was partly inspired by Animal Farm according to Pink Floyd in an interview.
It’s one of the best endings I have ever read. Packed with political brutalness with farm animals. Each chapter has something really creative or interesting to keep you interested in reading more. This is a book I have been meaning to read again. There are two film adaptions of this book I would like to check out and watch. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to read politics in a really clever and interesting way. And people who do not read much.
8.25/10
“Four legs good, two legs bad.”
― George Orwell, Animal Farm
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