Orwell trends on twitter; his legacy lives on

#Orwell lecture yesterday was actually on the anniversary of his death. Would have been nice to know before the moment passed! #WhyIWrite

— Making-Kai (@makingkai) January 22, 2014

Born Eric Arthur Blair in India in 1903, the English novelist, essayist, journalist and critic is best known by George Orwell, a pen name he adopted for himself. His acclaimed books include Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949), Animal Farm (1945) and the book mentioned in my lecture yesterday; Down and About in Paris and London (1933), an autobiographical account of his experience with poverty.

So I had a lecture on George Orwell less than 24hrs ago as part of the Contextual Studies unit of my BA Journalism course, but let’s see what social media has to say about the British writer. What’s trending on twitter for Orwell? Links, facts, opinions, and some writing inspiration… These twitter feeds show evidence that Orwell’s legacy is still very much present and relevant today, 64 years after his death on the 21st January 1950.

"The opinion that art should have nothing to do with politics is itself a political attitude." – George Orwell

— Guha Vishwanath.M.V. (@guhavishwanath) January 22, 2014

"Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful & murder respectable." Revisiting timeless Orwell over his tea recipe, then bed.

— Martha B. Diazepine (@Raucous_Redhead) January 22, 2014

George Orwell died this day in 1950. Now his birth house may be in its death throes: http://t.co/IgtrjUIGOx #Orwell #India

— V R Gaitonde (@weareji) January 22, 2014

1984: The masterpiece that killed George Orwell http://t.co/XmGPK6xtkx via @guardian

— David Scott (@MarcHookerBooks) January 22, 2014

“Good prose is like a windowpane" from 'Why I write' by #GeorgeOrwell, who died on this day 1950 http://t.co/DHxg1H7Ifq @TheByliner

— sebastian kraemer (@sebkraemer) January 22, 2014

Orwell, "Why I Write" – @TheByliner – https://t.co/tCc7q9IJyM

— elsewherever (@elsewherever) January 22, 2014

“@TheByliner: English writer #GeorgeOrwell died on this day in 1950. Read his essay, “Why I Write”: http://t.co/BZTBQHS7f5”

— The Raven ཌ་རེ་བེན། (@bhutanraven) January 22, 2014

Blogging? Thinking of blogging? Here's some inspiration fr George Orwell : "Why I write" http://t.co/4aIPE6yXWH @brainpicker

— Jude Enright (@judeenright) January 22, 2014

“All writers are vain, selfish, and lazy, and at the very bottom of their motives there lies a mystery."—George Orwell

— Rudy Thauberger (@RudyThauberger) January 22, 2014

https://twitter.com/amish973/status/425870766781919233

These five writers were terrified of what the future might bring via @tnr http://t.co/2MUONg6FWy

— Librería Rebel (@AnticuariaRebel) January 22, 2014

George Orwell, who died on this day in 1950, on why writers write – four universal motives for creation http://t.co/b3y88IqrFh

— Brain Pickings (@brainpickings) January 22, 2014

https://twitter.com/haleysfalling/status/425865676163538945

Reading an Orwell essay on writing and the sass is through the roof. #shameless

— katiecooley (@COOL__yourjets) January 22, 2014

The fact that George Orwell wrote that book in 1949, his prediction of what will take place in the future is so true,

— حنين (@palestinianism_) January 22, 2014

https://twitter.com/MaccorleyKata/status/425860685549940736

https://twitter.com/RedCarpet_Girl/status/425860769180155904

Whatever Orwell was going for with 1984, I think mostly he just left a bunch of people really uncomfortable with the ambiguity of real life.

— Chris (@tuba_man) January 22, 2014

Orwell’s work continues to influence popular and political culture, and the term Orwellian —  an adjective descriptive of totalitarian or authoriarian social practices  widely used to hide the true meaning of something— has entered the language together with several of his neologisms which are familiar terms used in everyday vocabulary; cold war, Big Brother, Room 101.