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  • Published: 7 January 2021
  • ISBN: 9780241515013
  • Imprint: Penguin eBooks
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 48

Shooting an Elephant




A brilliant indictment of the imperial project from George Orwell, a master of the essay form

Shooting an Elephant is Orwell's searing and painfully honest account of his experience as a police officer in imperial Burma; wearing the mask of Empire, committing an act of cruelty, 'solely to avoid looking a fool'. One of Orwell's greatest essays, the claustrophobic sense rendered between conquered, conqueror, and conscience would later be drawn out in his two great works of literature, Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm.

  • Published: 7 January 2021
  • ISBN: 9780241515013
  • Imprint: Penguin eBooks
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 48

About the author

George Orwell

George Orwell (1903–1950) is one of England's most famous writers and social commentators. He is the author of the classic political satire Animal Farm and the dystopian masterpiece Nineteen Eighty-Four. He is also well known for his essays and journalism, particularly his works covering his travels and his time fighting in the Spanish Civil War. His writing is celebrated for its piercing clarity, purpose and wit and his books continue to be bestsellers all over the world.

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