5/5

The George Orwell fought in a war? And it was not even for his country but as a volunteer to fight in Spain for the Workers’ Party. But there’s more — he was nearly killed, not in a heroic charge against the enemy, but by a sniper on a normal day. 

 

If this description gets you interested, this book is a must read — especially if you have read Animal Farm — George Orwell’s masterpiece. It predates that novel and you can see why Orwell became disillusioned by the proletariat revolution. It’s not a war that he and the reader would have imagined. Animal Farm gives you a peak into Orwell’s perspective on the Marxist movement, but Homage to Catalonia gives you a peak into Orwell himself, as a person, as someone with ideals, and as a witness to a slice of history covered under propaganda.