ORWELL is widely considered the most influential British writer of the 20th century.
But while the world knows Animal Farm and 1984, his journey to becoming a literary giant was paved with Spanish dirt and ‘plongeur’ grease.
THE NAME
His real name was Eric Blair.
During the Spanish Civil War, he described his daily embarrassment as the sergeant called out the roll call.
His ‘dull, prosaic’ English name sounded feeble when nestled among the florid Spanish names of his comrades.
SPAIN
Orwell was a sincere socialist who felt compelled to ‘do his bit’ against Fascism.
In 1937, he arrived in Barcelona and signed up for a combat unit, eventually finding himself on the brutal Aragon Front.
His account, Homage to Catalonia, is less about ‘flash-bang’ heroics and more a psychological autopsy of men under stress.
He famously noted the ‘maddening’ Spanish mindset of the era, particularly the trains that would leave an hour late—unless the driver impulsively decided to leave an hour early.
He also fell in love with the ‘spontaneous generosity’ of the Spanish people.
Orwell warned that if you admired a wardrobe in a Spanish home, the owner would immediately say ‘it is yours,’ leaving you the impossible task of lugging it home.
While cigarettes were gold dust at the front, he recalls a Spanish soldier handing him a full packet of 20—hoarded for months—and insisting he take the lot.
His war ended when his 6ft 2in frame made him an easy target; he stood up in a trench and took a Fascist bullet through the throat.
PARIS
In the late 1930s, Orwell sought ‘low-level’ employment as a plongeur (dishwasher) at Maxim’s in Paris.
The experience turned him into a lifelong skeptic of high society.
He famously noted that the more exclusive the restaurant, the dirtier its kitchen was likely to be.
INDIA & BURMA
Born in India, Orwell later served as a ‘colonial policeman’ in what is now Myanmar.
He grew to loathe the job, noting that Buddhist priests would insult him in the street.
The experience turned him permanently against imperialism, a theme that would later define his greatest works.
READ MORE: Spanish scientists cure pancreatic cancer in mice – raising hopes for a breakthrough in humans
ETON
Despite being a ‘public schoolboy,’ Orwell despised private education.
However, the drills he learned in the Officers’ Training Corps (OTC) likely saved his life in the Spanish trenches.
THE END
It is a tragedy of literature that the man who gave us the term ‘Big Brother’ died at the preposterously young age of 47.
He passed away on 21 January 1950, leaving behind a legacy that remains the ultimate warning against totalitarianism.
Click here to read more La Cultura News from The Olive Press.
