Write a short biographical sketch of George Orwell.

George Orwell was an English writer and journalist born on June 25, 1903, in Motihari, India, which was then part of the British Empire. His birth name was Eric Arthur Blair. Orwell was the son of a British civil servant, and spent his early years in India before being sent to boarding school in England.

Orwell attended Eton College, a prestigious school in England, where he received a scholarship. After finishing school, he joined the Indian Imperial Police Force in Burma, where he served for five years. This experience provided the inspiration for his first novel, “Burmese Days,” which was published in 1934.

In the 1930s, Orwell became a committed socialist and began writing essays and articles for left-wing publications. He also joined the Spanish Civil War to fight against Franco’s fascist forces, an experience that would inform his most famous work, “Nineteen Eighty-Four.”

Orwell’s writing focused on themes of social injustice, political corruption, and the dangers of totalitarianism. His most famous works include “Animal Farm,” a satirical novel that criticizes the Russian Revolution and the rise of Stalinism, and “Nineteen Eighty-Four,” a dystopian novel that depicts a future society ruled by a totalitarian government.

Orwell died in 1950 at the age of 46 from tuberculosis. His legacy as a writer and political thinker remains strong, with his work continuing to be studied and celebrated for its powerful critique of totalitarianism and its defense of individual liberty and human dignity.