Orwell’s Other Masterpiece

When I mention George Orwell, there are no doubt two distinct and terrific novels that immediately come to mind: 1984 and Animal Farm. I remember the fantastic impact that reading 1984 had on me in my mid-teens. It has since seemed to grow from a science fiction dystopian view of the future to a prophetic view of the present. Animal Farm was the first Orwellian novel I read, having won it in an essay contest in the 5^th or 6^th grade. I haven’t read it since but really should because I doubt that I was able to really understand the work at that age.

I was listening to an interview with Noam Chomsky on the University of California Television (UCTV) series Conversations with History when he mentioned that he thought Orwell’s best work was Homage to Catalonia and that it was very influential upon his early political thought. As an aside, UCTV is pretty awesome. It is usually offered on one of the programming tiers of Dish Network, but all content is available to stream online--just follow the link above.

Despite what your personal opinion of Chomsky and his politics might be, he does often—in that most Socratic of ways—provoke one to defend or at least examine one’s own point of view and even cherished beliefs. Thus, I put Homage to Catalonia on my “to-read” list for these reasons. In reviewing the work, I am not trying to advocate for Orwell’s political perspective. Such judgments are personal decisions and I have little interest in persuading anyone to any ideology—as I myself am unable to find any political party or paradigm of belief satisfactory. The narrative structure and Orwell’s dry humor about the direst circumstances alone are good enough to recommend the book.

Homage to Catalonia is Orwell's first-hand recollection of his experiences as a soldier in the militia during the Spanish Civil War. The first edition of the book was published in 1938 but it was suppressed in the United States until February 1952.

Orwell achieved rank as high as lieutenant in the POUM—a leftist militia, which was at first very decentralized but gradually, became more hierarchical during his service. He fought in Catalonia and Aragon from December 1936 until June 1937. In June 1937 the POUM, which was known as “the Workers' Party of Marxist Unification” was declared  illegal by the fractious government which left Orwell (and his wife who had been staying in Barcelona) something of a fugitive.

Orwell’s time on “the front line” of the Spanish Civil War did not leave him untouched. Despite a witty narrative in which he often seems to minimize the fear and danger of trench warfare, Orwell did suffer an injury to his arm and later was hit by sniper fire in a near fatal shot to his throat. Of course, none of this summary or any other description can match the dry English wit with which Orwell delivers his tales of adventure.

Homage to Catalonia describes events after World War I and during the spread of fascism prior to World War II. It is useful to place its narrative in this perspective. In this manner, Orwell’s final lines are particularly poignant: “…the men in bowler hats, the pigeons in Trafalgar Square, the red buses, the blue policemen - all sleeping the deep, deep sleep of England, from which I sometimes fear that we shall never wake till we are jerked out of it by the roar of bombs."

Orwell's novel is both thoughtful and thought-provoking. He takes very seriously the battle against fascism in Spain at the time. Yet he maintains much of his dry, English wit throughout the text. This is highly recommended reading for anyone, particularly those who enjoyed one or more of Orwell's more popular works. As a non-fiction account of first-hand experiences, one can almost see the seed begin to germinate that would color much of Orwell's view of government. One thing is for certain, the book is potent and full of lessons. I suggest that you at least give the book a try.

Once again, I wish you happy learning! Keep that spark of intellectual fire alive. Let it begin to burn into a skeptical but curious world view. As always, happy learning!