Orwell's Life Retold in a Graphic Biography by Christin and Verdier

The graphic novel "Orwell," written by Pierre Christin and illustrated by Sébastien Verdier, was published in France in 2019 and released in Italy by L'Ippocampo editore in 2020. The book traces the life of George Orwell (born Eric Arthur Blair) from his birth in India in 1903 through his education at Eton, his time in Paris and fighting in the Spanish Civil War, his career as a reporter, his marriage to Eileen O'Shaughnessy, and his death in 1950. Christin drew inspiration from Bernard Crick's biography and Orwell's diaries, and the narrative is structured around a subtitle listing Orwell's many roles: "Etonian, policeman, proletarian, dandy, militiaman, journalist, rebel, novelist, eccentric, socialist, etc." The artwork by Verdier uses restrained color accents on symbolic objects. The final section features contributions from guest artists including André Juillard, Olivier Balez, Manu Larcenet, and Enki Bilal, who illustrate key works from Orwell's oeuvre. The book is 160 pages, priced at €19.90, with ISBN 9788867224982.