“Everyone knows that there is one law for the rich and another for the poor.”

The Lion and the Unicorn: Socialism and the English Genius was written and published during the worst period of the Blitz in 1941, and in it, Orwell opines that the outdated British class system is hampering the war effort, and that a socialist revolution is needed in order to defeat Nazi Germany. With his customary clarity, wit, and conviction, the author dissects the contradictions of British society—its class divisions, its cultural quirks, and its imperial legacy—while championing the ordinary English spirit as a force for transformation and argues for the creation of a new, democratic “English socialism” —one not influenced by the oppresive regime of Stalinist Russia—and also a new form of Britishness, a socialist one liberated from empire and the decadent old ruling classes.

Born Eric Arthur Blair, George Orwell (1903-1950) was a British novelist, essayist, and critic famous for his insightful social and political commentary. His personal engagement with real world issues imbues his work with a sense of social conscience that continues to resonate with readers, and his two most famous novels, Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four, continue to captivate audiences worldwide.