George Orwell

Recorded propaganda broadcasts for Great Britain during World War II that were broadcast in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. In these broadcasts, which were a mixture of news, opinion and sparring against the propaganda of the pro-Japanese Indian rebel Subhas Chandra Bose, one can see the ideological underpinnings of his novels "1984" and "Animal Farm"--an aversion to tyranny, anyone's tyranny.

Married for a second time in 1949, from his hospital bed in London.

Chose the title of his magnum opus "Nineteen Eighty-Four" by inverting the last two digits of the year he completed the manuscript (1948).

In 1941, Orwell was employed by the BBC as a spokesman. However, he came to detest his job and resigned two years later.

He provided the British government a list of people he suspected to be Communist sympathizers in the late 1940s. He singled out Charles Chaplin, actor Michael Redgrave and novelist J.B. Priestley.

He married in 1936.

By 1935 he had adopted the 'pen-name' of 'George Orwell' and had written his first novels.

Worked at a bookshop in Hampstead for just over a year, from the end of 1934 until early 1936. This period served as the basis for the author's novel, "Keep the Aspidistra Flying.".

Had a brief career as a teacher during the 1930s, before a bout of flu caused Orwell to abandon that vocation.

The joined the British Imperial Police in Burma, serving until 1927. He then travelled around England and Europe, doing various odd jobs to support his writing.

Born the son of an Opium Agent in Bengal, Eric Blair was educated in England (Eton 1921).

He is buried in the graveyard of Sutton Courtenay church, near Abingdon in Oxfordshire, although he has no connection with the village. He had left instructions that he wanted to be buried in the nearest graveyard to wherever he died. However, he died in central London and none of the London churches had space for him to be buried. Fearing that his body would have to be cremated instead, his widow asked each of her friends around the country to approach their local vicar to see if their church had room. This is how he comes to be buried in Sutton Courtenay--purely by chance. His grave bears just the words, "Eric Arthur Blair / Born June 25th 1903 / Died January 21st 1950" with no mention being made of his more well-known pen-name or even the fact that he had been a famous author.