Eric Blair, better known as George Orwell, made an impressive and successful career as a writer. Although when he began writing, he did not immediately thrive, over time he overcame the hardships his life presented him and proved to the world that he had the ability to be an inspiring writer.
Orwell had been a successful student in England, and decided to try his luck in Paris as a writer. Although he was highly motivated, Orwell was not as triumphant in Paris as he might have hoped and moved back to England to create a better living for himself.
When he began to slip into poverty, Orwell decided he needed to find an agent. Once he found his agent, Orwell published Down and Out in Paris in 1932. After the publication, Orwell became more serious about his writing. By 1934, Orwell had thrown himself completely into writing and depended on no other occupations.
After getting a grip on how the writing world turned, Orwell began writing fiction. He published Burmese Days (his first fictional publication) in 1934, almost immediately after he went entirely into writing. Orwell began to write about wars and historical happenings in his writings. He went on to write The Road to Wigan Pier and Animal Farm, both were very controversial writings that were introduced to society.
Orwell created great insight on historical fiction and helped open the minds of many to see the government for what it really was. The George Orwell Award is now among one of the top awards given to only the best historical writers.

Sources:

"Biography of George Orwell List of Works, Study Guides & Essays GradeSaver." Study Guides & Essay Editing GradeSaver. Web. 19 Apr. 2010. http://www.gradesaver.com/author/george-orwell/.

"Did George Orwell Ever Win Any Awards? - Yahoo! Answers." Yahoo! Answers - Home. Web. 19 Apr. 2010. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080515172111AAXNdiL.

"George Orwell." The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Web. 19 Apr. 2010. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000567/.