Like all of Orwell's non-fiction work I've read, Homage to Catalonia is tightly written, packed with information and specific detail, and writing in the sparkling, lucid tone of an exceptional journalist. The contrast with the bankrupt he-said, she-said journalism of the typical press is striking.

I review Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell, his sixth published book and a commercial failure. An historically important account of the Spanish Civil War and featuring the seeds of some themes which were developed on in 1984.

Homage to Catalonia covers only a very slim part of the conflict and Orwell was aware of this. But for all Orwell’s view is subjective, it is his own truth – straight and honest as he sees it. His honesty about his own fallibility and the less than glamourous state of things persuades the reader of the author’s reliability.