A Hanging

George Orwell set out 'to make political writing into an art', and to a wide extent this aim shaped the future of English literature. While

1984 and

AnimalFarm are amongst the most popular classic novels of all time, this new series of his essays seeks to bring his writing on politics and literature to a new readership.A Hanging, the ninth in the

Orwell's Essays series, tells the story of the execution of an unnamed convict in Burma. With the veracity of the story unknown, but thought to be loosely based on Orwell's own experiences in Burma, the haunting tale leaves the reader contemplating the heavy topic of colonialism, and the right of one to take the life of another.