Animal Farm Introduction by Julian Symons

For me, no other book felt as divided within itself as this one. Thematically narrowed down to the point - yet universally understandable. Although the text is easy to read, it is difficult to see through. It is as if Orwell wanted to pour his inner turmoil about the development of the early Soviet Union into the novel - and you can feel his disappointment through the letters. The novel rightly is one of the great classics and certainly one of the books you should read at least once in your life.

The book tells the gripping story of animals on a farm who rebel against the oppression of their powerful owner and start a revolution. The revolution is led by the farm's pigs. It shows how the pigs try to develop their own power structures to improve their situation. Particularly impressive is the depiction of how propaganda and false information are used to manipulate the animals and secure control. The book vividly shows how propaganda works and how it serves to secure and consolidate power. It is a fascinating and instructive story that inspires reflection on power, manipulation, and the meaning of truth.

Already a classic by the end of the 20th century and a must read for everyone. No other book illustrates and questions the history of communism in the former Soviet Union more gripping. Motives, organisation and gradual descent into perversion and farce, find it all on "Animal Farm"!