Product Description

Written during World War II and published in 1945, this is a sharp and celebrated satire on dictatorship. Orwell conveys his bleak message of man's inhumanity to man, and beast's to beast through stark prose and black comedy.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #26049 in Books
• Published on: 1993-05-20
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 116 pages

Review
Well-written, thought-provoking, funny and above all short, it is considered perfect for the attention span of the MTV generation. For those who have yet to have the pleasure it is a satire on Stalinism in which animals take over a farm. Inspired by the vision of the prize boar Old Major, the animals of Manor Farm rebel against their human masters and establish a model democratic community in which 'all animals are equal'. But power corrupts, and gradually the dictator pig, Napoleon, betrays the animals back into slavery. ('All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.') (Kirkus UK)

A modern day fable, with modern implications in a deceiving simplicity, by the author of Dickens. Dali and Others (Reynal & Hitchcock, p. 138), whose critical brilliance is well adapted to this type of satire. This tells of the revolt on a farm, against humans, when the pigs take over the intellectual superiority, training the horses, cows, sheep, etc., into acknowledging their greatness. The first hints come with the reading out of a pig who instigated the building of a windmill, so that the electric power would be theirs, the idea taken over by Napoleon who becomes topman with no maybes about it. Napoleon trains the young puppies to be his guards, dickers with humans, gradually instigates a reign of terror, and breaks the final commandment against any animal walking on two legs. The old faithful followers find themselves no better off for food and work than they were when man ruled them, learn their final disgrace when they see Napoleon and Squealer carousing with their enemies... A basic statement of the evils of dictatorship in that it not only corrupts the leaders, but deadens the intelligence and awareness of those led so that tyranny is inevitable. Mr. Orwell's animals exist in their own right, with a narrative as individual as it is apt in political parody. (Kirkus Reviews)

Customer Reviews

No animal may drink alcohol "to excess"
A fairy tale or a nightmare? It all began with a dream by Major, a Middle White boar, of equality, and freedom from oppression. Maybe not in our life comrade, but eventually.

The dream brings a song. Intolerable conditions lead to revolution. As time passes things change; not exactly as planned.

There are two striking parts to this tale that stand out. First when Boxer is sent to the hospital and Benjamin reads the side of the van "Horse Slaughterer." Secondly there was a party in the farm house as the pigs were playing cards with the men, two aces of spades showed up. An argument ensues. Then a realization was drawn by the creatures outside looking in as they "...looked from pig to man, and man to pig, and from pig to man again..."

A book everyone should read
A simple but stunning allegory that explodes the myth of benign proletariat rule and demonstrates the corrupting influence of power.
It has rightly been seen as a commentary of Stalin's Soviet regime, but it could reflect any number of tyrant regimes throughout the world which imposes authoritarian rule on the general citizenry "for the good of the people".

Excellent thoughts and content.
This has to be one of the best books I have ever read in my life. Orwell vividly describes a behind the scenes look at communism and socialism. I have never seen this kind of interpetation in any of the books I have read. Kudos to Orwell for a classic masterpiece.