Early Life Of Orwell

George Orwell was the pen name of Eric Arthur Blair who was born on June 25th, 1903 to British parents in Motihari, British India. His father was Richard Walmesley Blair who worked for the Opium Department of the Civil Service and his mother was Ida Mabel Blair who was born in Limouzin. He was brought to England by his mother at the age of one and did not see his father again until 1907, when Richard visited England for three months before leaving again. Eric had an older sister named Marjorie, and a younger sister named Avril.

At the age of six, Blair was enrolled into a small Anglican Parish School, but two years later he was recommended by his teachers to the headmaster of St Cyprian's School, one of the most successful preparatory schools in England at the time. Blair was attending St Cyprian's School on a scholarship that allowed his parents to pay only half of the usual fees. In his time at St. Cyprian's School, Blair successfully earned scholarships to both Wellington and Eton.

After his first term at Wellington, Blair moved to Eton, where he was a King's Scholar from 1917 to 1921. Aldous Huxley was his French teacher for one term early in his time at Eton. He would later write that he had been relatively happy during his time at Eton; because of its considerable independence for the students also he had ceased doing serious work after arriving there. His academic performance varied on different reports; some pointed out that he was a poor student, while others claim the contrary. He was clearly disliked by some of his teachers, because they saw him as disrespect for their authority. During his time at the school, Blair formed lifelong friendships with a number of successful futures British men such as Cyril Connolly, the future editor of the magazine Horizon, in which many of Orwell's most famous essays will originally be published.