George Orwell is the famous penname for Eric Blair. Blair was born in Motihari, Bengal, India where his father, Richard Blair, worked for the opium industry. His mother was the daughter of a tea merchant in Burma. She decided to move her family back west to England in 1904 when Blair was only one. Eric Blair grew up with his older sister, Marjorie, and his younger sister, Avril, raised by their mom who sought to better her household. However, Richard Blair did not get very many opportunities to visit his family; he visited once in 1907 for three months before having to return to work and did not come back until 1912.

Eric Blair was sent to school when he was five in Henley. He never wrote about his experiences at the small Anglican school, but he clearly made an impression on his teachers and was recommended by his headmaster to attend St Cyprian's School, in Eastbourne, Sussex. St. Cyprian was a well known school and was deemed the most successful in the area. He showed such a talent for writing that he was able to earn a scholarship to the school that allowed his parents to only have to pay half of the usual tuition.

Being such a great student in his early years, Blair easily found scholarships for Wellington and Eton; prestigious colleges. Blair began his college experience at Wellington, but decided to move to Eton after only a semester. There he was perceived many different ways; some teachers claim that he was a disrespectful student while others appeared to like him. Blair made many friends who would no doubt become higher British intellectuals.

Sources:

"George Orwell Biography - A Biography of George Orwell." George Orwell - Complete Works, Biography, Quotes, Essays. Web. 12 Apr. 2010. http://www.george-orwell.org/l_biography.html.

"George Orwell." Www.kirjasto.sci.fi. Web. 12 Apr. 2010. http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/gorwell.htm.