The novella "Animal Farm" was written by George Orwell, whose real name was Eric Arthur Blair. It was first published in England on August 17, 1945. Orwell wrote "Animal Farm" as a satirical allegory reflecting events leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the Stalinist era of the Soviet Union. The book critiques totalitarianism and the betrayal of revolutionary ideals, using farm animals as symbolic characters representing historical figures and political ideologies. Orwell, a democratic socialist, intended the novella as a warning against the dangers of Stalinism and totalitarianism, combining political and artistic purpose in this work.