Animal Farm

George Orwell wrote “Animal Farm” from 1943 to 1944 as a satire on the 1917 revolution. It took him far less than 70 years to see—and brilliantly describe—all the consequences of the 20th century’s main social experiment.

Animals overthrow a cruel master, and on the farm an ideal social order is established, where everyone has equal rights and opportunities. Free and happy, they live by the commandments of Animalism, where every two-legged creature is declared an enemy, and all animals are equal. Work for the benefit of all is required from sunrise to sunset, and sometimes even for three.

Not long passes before they shrink and alter the basic principles until they’re unrecognizable—because pigs find it hard to remember them in their original form. And besides, living too freely and happily is also beyond their strength, so a dictatorship and the tyranny of those in power flourish on the farm. The old commandments are abolished, and only one becomes the new truth: all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.

For obvious reasons, for many years “Animal Farm” was banned in the USSR. For the rest of the world, it became the benchmark of satirical prose—literarily and ideologically impeccable. Meanwhile, Orwell specifically preserved the simplicity of language to make translation easier, first and foremost into Russian. One of the 50 greatest British writers, the author of the “manifesto of the Cold War” (the novel “1984”)—he used his talent to expose and mercilessly criticize totalitarianism.

The simple exposition of complex political and social doctrines is extremely appealing. Satire is a universal means to talk plainly about what is difficult. It’s always interesting to look at yourself through the eyes of others—especially if that gaze is elevated to the rank of a canon.

The study of the nature of totalitarianism—its darkest aspects and consequences—is a delicate and sensitive topic. And that’s why it matters even more to try to understand the voice that comes from the very heart, and that has been heard by millions of other people.