About the Book Animal Farm is a dystopian allegorical novella. It reflects events leading up to and during the Stalin era before World War II. Orwell, being a democratic socialist, was a critic of Joseph Stalin and was against Moscow-directed Stalinism. The novel addresses not only the corruption of the revolution by its leaders but also how wickedness, indifference, ignorance, greed and myopia destroy any possibility of a utopia. While the novel portrays corrupt leadership as the flaw in revolution, though not the act of revolution itself, it also shows how potential ignorance and indifference to problems within a revolution could allow horrors to happen if smooth transition to a people’s government is not effected. Time magazine chose the book as one of the 100 best English-language novels (1923 to 2005). It was also placed at No. 31 on the Modern Library List of Best 20th Century Novels in English.About the Author George Orwell, the great essayist, novelist and journalist, was the pen-name of Eric Arthur Blair. He was a keen critic of imperialism, fascism, Stalinism, and capitalism. His works are concerned with the socio-political conditions of his time, chiefly with the problem of human freedom. His plain colloquial style made him highly effective as pamphleteer and journalist.