The articles collected in George Orwells Essays illuminate the life and work of one of the most individual writers of this century - a man who elevated political writing to an art. n n This outstanding collection brings together Orwells longer, major essays and a fine selection of shorter pieces that includes My Country Right or Left, Decline of the English Murder, Shooting an Elephant and A Hanging. With great originality and wit Orwell unfolds his views on subjects ranging from a revaluation of Charles Dickens to the nature of Socialism, from a comic yet profound discussion of naughty seaside postcards to a spirited defence of English cooking. Displaying an almost unrivalled mastery of English plain prose, Orwells essays created a unique literary manner from the process of thinking aloud and continue to challenge, move and entertain. n n This Penguin Modern Classics edition includes an introduction by Bernard Crick. n