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George Orwell: Animal Farm

A fairly straightforward satire of Soviet communism, but based on Orwell’s own experiences in Spain, this novel has had unprecedented success, not least because it is so easy and so obvious. The workers (in this case the animals) kick out the bourgeoisie (in this book their drunken human owner) and set up a workers’ paradise, where all animals are equal and everyone loves everyone else. Then, the pigs who are apparently smarter, gradually take over, sell out the revolution and indulge their greedy tastes, leaving the other animals no better off than before. Indeed, in many ways they are worse off (Boxer, the old horse, sold to the glue factory, is a prime example). Their original seven commandments are reduced to just one – All Animals are Equal, but Some Animals Are More Equal Than Others. Not a bad story and an amusing satire.

Publishing history

First published 1945 by Secker & Warburg