Animal Farm

"Animal Farm" is a satirical allegorical novella by George Orwell, first published in 1945. It takes the form of a beast fable and tells the story of a group of farm animals who rebel against their human farmer in search of equality and freedom. However, their hopes are dashed as a pig named Napoleon establishes a dictatorship, leading the farm back to its oppressive state. Orwell intended "Animal Farm" to reflect the events leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the subsequent Stalinist era in the Soviet Union. As a democratic socialist and critic of Joseph Stalin, Orwell used the book to satirize and critique the abuses of power under Stalinist rule. Inspired by his experiences during the Spanish Civil War, Orwell consciously merged his political and artistic purposes in writing the novel. Originally titled "Animal Farm: A Fairy Story," the subtitle was dropped by US publishers in 1946. Orwell suggested various titular variations for translations, including "A Satire" and "A Contemporary Satire." The French translation's proposed title, "Union des républiques socialistes animales," abbreviated as URSA, played on the Russian symbol of the bear and the French name for the Soviet Union. "Animal Farm" remains a powerful and relevant work, cautioning against the dangers of authoritarianism, the betrayal of revolutionary ideals, and the manipulation of power for personal gain.