One of the most famous authors of our time, George Orwell gave us thought-provoking classics such as Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four. He was a master of dystopian novels, as well as themes of totalitarianism and censorship. He used his talents to present fiction with a dose of real truth behind it. He was a known socialist activist throughout most of his short life (Orwell died at age 47).
Orwell's novels were so powerful that the term 'Orwellian' was coined to describe totalitarian practices. Other tokens from his books have taken on a life of their own, including 'big brother', 'room 101', and unperson, amongst others. Orwell once described his abuse at a private boarding school, where he was flogged and fed sour porridge. We wonder if that's how he came up with some of his dark ideas.