Orwell, George. Animal farm, New York : Random House, 1993.Sitting alongside 1984 in terms of brilliance, Animal Farm is Orwell's first scathing satire of political tyranny, partially inspired by his observations of Stalinism while fighting alongside anarchists and Trotskyists during the Spanish Civil War. On the advice of the wise pig, Old Major, and chafing under the oppression of slave-like working conditions, the animals of Manor Farm rise up and drive their human boss out. However, an initial period of revolutionary rejoicing is interrupted by division over the way forward, and the eventual exile of one of the early leaders of the revolution, Snowball. Orwell's historically inspired fable keenly reflects on the corrosive influence of power, beautifully expressing the importance of vigilance in the face of corrupt leadership.
