TITLE: Animal Farm: A Fairy Tale

AUTHOR: George Orwell

PUBLICATION DATE: 2018 (originally 1945)

EDITION: Penguin English Library

ISBN-13: 9780241341667

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DESCRIPTION:

"'All animals are equal - but some are more equal than others.' When the downtrodden animals of Manor Farm overthrow their master Mr Jones and take over the farm themselves, they imagine it is the beginning of a life of freedom and equality. But gradually a cunning, ruthless élite among them, masterminded by the pigs Napoleon and Snowball, starts to take control. Soon the other animals discover that they are not all as equal as they thought, and find themselves hopelessly ensnared as one form of tyranny is replaced with another."

 

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REVIEW:

You may call this a political or social commentary, a satire, an allegory, a moral story, or a combination of a whole lot of other things. The novella is still relevant today and should be a warning to the general public to think for themselves and question everything, instead of dully going along with the approved narrative (whatever it is). At the end of the day, this is a short and witty observation of animal human nature.

PS: This is not a children's book. The book is better if the reader has some knowledge of history and adult concerns (i.e. putting food on the table, economy in general and politics).

 And just because:

Do you think it matters greatly that Orwell may have plagearised a good portion of "Nineteen Eighty-Four" because of the significance of the novel? Funny how soon this novel has passed the 60 years mark and we're just now "finding this all out". In our world - the age of the internet, it seems these things are found out immediately.

I was always aware that "Nineteen Eighty-Four" was about Russia/Soviet Union given his experience fighting on the communist side during the Spanish Civil War and all that entailed. Due to the Stalinists executing the Trotskyites (the POUM) on whose side Orwell fought, he left Spain after almost being murdered himself disillusioned with Communism altogether.

Read on, if you feel like it.

This might be one of the most popular stories, mostly read in school. And yes, I read it at school as well, but back then I couldn't appreciate this parable to its fullest. But given the developments in the last 25 years, nations risen and fallen, political systems overthrown in the hope for something better - only to end up worse than before -, this text had much more of an impact on me now. Because, as sad as it may sound: the imagery and the message ring true, almost painfully true - despite, or maybe because of the not so very hidden hints of communism and the date it's been written. And what does that say about humankind nowadays that it's still relevant in this day and age?

All animals are equal. But some animals are more equal than others.

The animals of Manor Farm stage a rebellion against their human owner which succeeds. What begins as a common effort to establish equality among the animals, so that no one rules over them... soon ends up producing the ruling class of the pigs with its leader ever more removed from the "common" working animals and surrounded by vicious dogs. History's rewritten, enemies are created, demagoguery rules - all just to pull wool over the eyes of the rest of the animals.

Now I ask you: Is reality so much different?

Definitely a must-read.