The English People

Britain in Pictures #100

by George Orwell

The author of "Nineteen-eighty Four", "Animal Farm", and "Homage to Catalonia," here interprets in succinct style the social history of the British isles and its people. ILLUS.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

47 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 1947

About the author

Eric Arthur Blair was an English novelist, poet, essayist, journalist and critic who wrote under the pen name of George Orwell. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to all totalitarianism (both fascism and stalinism), and support of democratic socialism.

Orwell is best known for his allegorical novella Animal Farm (1945) and the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949), although his works also encompass literary criticism, poetry, fiction and polemical journalism. His non-fiction works, including The Road to Wigan Pier (1937), documenting his experience of working-class life in the industrial north of England, and Homage to Catalonia (1938), an account of his experiences soldiering for the Republican faction of the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939), are as critically respected as his essays on politics, literature, language and culture.

Orwell's work remains influential in popular culture and in political culture, and the adjective "Orwellian"—describing totalitarian and authoritarian social practices—is part of the English language, like many of his neologisms, such as "Big Brother", "Thought Police", "Room 101", "Newspeak", "memory hole", "doublethink", and "thoughtcrime". In 2008, The Times named Orwell the second-greatest British writer since 1945.

Reviews

[Jonfaith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite the audacious scope of his project, Orwell gives such a polished essay that we forget his ambition and side instead with his portrait of a humble people who love their animals, despise other classes and remain committed to ale and football while disavowing their neighbors across the continent.

There are uncomfortable generalizations but there’s also an adroit examination of the English language and an earnest reflection on how to improve the national education endeavor.

I truly enjoyed this and am now pondering a summer project of reading all four volumes of Orwell’s collected journalism, letters and essays.

[helene · Rating 5 out of 5]

enjoyed it a lot even if orwell seems incredibly contradicting himself
seems like he rolled the dice on his personal political opinions especially concerning socialist ideology... but whatever it's a real good essay easy to read easy to digest the fact that i can't really (under)stand the author doesn't change that fact

[David Burkam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of the Britain in Pictures series published between 1941 and 1948 in an effort to boost morale and instill pride in a national identity during the war and early post-war years. Over 130 volumes were planned but only 126 actually appeared. The list of authors was an impressive who's who of the literary, political and arts communities of the time.

All books in this series face a monumental task: how to refresh the memories and re-educate the British people as to who they are and where they came from (in fewer than 50 pages). The topics are timeless and deserve continual re-evaluation, but that broad assessment is essential at critical moments in history.

George Orwell is one of the best-known authors in the series. And he had the advantage and the responsibility of writing two years after the end of the war -- the advantage that the war-time need for morale boosting was over, yet the responsibility to suggest a way forward in the newly emerging, international sphere of the late 1940s and beyond. One can't help but wonder what Orwell would say today of those intervening 70 years.

[Severin Fischer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading George Orwell’s The English People was like opening a portrait album of a nation caught between tradition and transformation. Published in 1947, this short book was originally commissioned as part of a series introducing England to foreign audiences during and after the Second World War. However, Orwell, with his usual sharpness and honesty, delivers more than a simple cultural overview.

The book explores the character of the English people through themes such as class, history, the countryside, sport, and the peculiarities of national temperament. Orwell paints a picture of a society bound by paradox: fiercely individualistic yet oddly conformist, obsessed with fairness yet structured by inequality, and deeply rooted in traditions even as it faces rapid change.

What struck me most is Orwell’s tone — critical but affectionate, ironic yet never cynical. His England is far from a utopia, but it possesses a quiet resilience, a decency rooted in understatement rather than grand ideals. Through observations of everyday life — tea-drinking, weather obsessions, suburban rituals — he captures a spirit that feels both specific and universal.

For me, The English People wasn’t just a study of a country; it was a meditation on how national identity is shaped by habits, landscapes, and shared fictions. Orwell reminds us that a people are never easy to define, but always worth trying to understand.

[Cole · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like Orwell’s writing. It’s pleasant to read. I like hearing him muse over his countrymen. This book is outdated by several decades, but it’s interesting seeing some reflections of my own culture in this book. It’s clear we come from a similar stock, yet divorced

[Peter W · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good, quick read. It is surprising how insightful Orwell is in many areas, such as Britain's relationship with Europe, but in many parts he comes across as moaning about non-issues. Worth a read, especially if you're British, just be prepared for some scathing criticisms of the society.

[Frank Jacobs · Rating 5 out of 5]

An essay that manages, in parts at least, to ring true so many years after it has been written, and that remains an intensely enjoyable read in the other parts as well.

[Sean Chick · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has all the marks of Orwell and that is accurate prose, biting insights, and Orwell's mix of admiration for the English with just enough dislike to keep it interesting.