"Shooting an Elephant and Other Essays" is a collection of 23 essays by George Orwell. Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist and critic. His work is characterised by lucid prose, biting social criticism, opposition to totalitarianism, and outspoken support of democratic socialism. Included in this collection: - Why I Write - The Spike - A Hanging - Shooting an Elephant - Bookshop Memories - Charles Dickens - Boys' Weeklies - My Country Right or Left - Looking Back on the Spanish War - In Defence of English Cooking - Good Bad Books - The Sporting Spirit - Nonsense Poetry - The Prevention of Literature - Books v. Cigarettes - Decline of the English Murder - Some Thoughts on the Common Toad - Confessions of a Book Reviewer - Politics v. Literature: An Examination of Gulliver's Travels - How the Poor Die - Such, Such Were the Joys - Reflections on Gandhi - Politics and the English Language