Just curious here, what do people here think of George Orwell?

[marasinghe]

6. one of his best, yet least read books: the autobiographical "Down & Out in London & Paris".

details his experiences:
as a homeless tramp & hobo, and, denizen of the lodgings for the poor, in London & around England;
as well as his experiences as savagely exploited, penniless dishwasher in the restaurants of Paris.
recommended reading for all, this book is a damning indictment of poverty & the exploitation of the poor.
his descriptions of the hordes of bed-bugs scenting the arrival of fresh blood in the rooms of the poor lodging-houses in Paris, and their relentless advance along the walls towards the lodger's bed, is straight out horror.


on the downside -- he was so virulently anti-authoritarian that he conflated left-wing liberals with the communist Soviet dictatorship, and, was unable to judge objectively.
http://www.nytimes.com/1998/07/29/opinion/george-orwell-s-list.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm
from this NYT opinion piece:

".... Orwell secretly wrote down the names of prominent figures who he felt were so enamored of the Soviet Union that they had lost their political independence. He sent some names to a propaganda unit of the British Foreign Office, suggesting they were not fit for writing assignments .... some comments are simply appalling. The anti-Semitic and anti-homosexual overtones of his notes are clear ...."

a college English teacher once mentioned that, Orwell (real name: Eric Blair) - was a script-writer in Hollywood & supported the Joseph McCarthy hearings. but, i've not seen any evidence of that.