Homage to Catalonia

(Paperback)

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Volume 6 of The Complete Works of George Orwell Volume 6 of The Complete Works of George Orwell;;'This is the story of one man who went to Spain with an intellectual sympathy for socialist doctrine and came back. . . with a fervent, almost religious belief in its necessity' - so reads the dust-jacket to the first edition of Homage to Catalonia in 1938. Despite a mixture of laudatory and politically biased reviews, that first edition of 1, 500 copies had still not sold out by the time Orwell died, twelve years later. From then on, however, the literary, autobiographical and political importance of Homage to Catalonia became widely recognised. It was published in an Italian edition of 2,060 copies in December 1948 and the first American edition of 4,000 copies, published by Harcourt, Brace in 1952, had to be reprinted almost immediately. The book has since been printed and reprinted in many countries and languages.;;Homage to Catalonia is a vivid record of Orwell's experiences fighting for the Republican cause in Spain and his growth in political maturity. Despite physical privation, being wounded in the throat, and disenchantment arising from the bitter in-fighting within the Left, Orwell concluded- 'Curiously enough the whole experience has left me with not less but more belief in the decency of human beings'.

Reviews

An unrivalled picture of the rumours, suspicions and treachery of civil war
A war story that is both brutally honest and lyrically beautiful

Author Bio

George Orwell (1903-1950) is one of England's most famous writers and social commentators. He is the author of the classic political satire Animal Farm and the dystopian masterpiece Nineteen Eighty-Four. He is also well known for his essays and journalism, particularly his works covering his travels and his time fighting in the Spanish Civil War. His writing is celebrated for its piercing clarity, purpose and wit and his books continue to be bestsellers all over the world.