Penguin Books mark 75th anniversary of Animal Farm

George Orwell’s evergreen book, Animal Farm, on Monday, marked 75 years since it was first published by British publishing company Penguin Books.

The book, first released on August 17, 1945, has been described by many book lovers as an epic piece of literature. The book is most notable for the line, “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”

Beyond this singular line, Orwell’s allegorical novella painted a perfect metaphor for the pseudo-equity, fairness, and justice that have always characterised human existence, especially along the political and socio-economic lines.

With the book, George Orwell, whose original name was Eric Blair, achieved the magnificent work of satire with a fusion of whimsical human and animal characters.

The book tells the story of a group of farm animals who rebel against the human farmer, hoping to create a society where the animals can be equal, free, and happy. But the rebellion is betrayed, and the farm ends up in a state as bad as it was before, under the dictatorship of a pig named Napoleon.

Orwell did not live too long. Born on June 25, 1903, he died on January 21, 1950. However, 75 years after it first appeared in print, Orwell’s work of political satire, Animal Farm, has been a subject of academic and journalistic discourse because of its wider interpretation and appeal to virtually all facets of human relationship and existence.