《動物農莊》是一本以動物故事形式寫的諷刺時事的政治寓言。作者將動物形象和人的思想揉合在一起,譏諭人類社會。故事從一天晚上的動物集會開始。農莊的公豬「長者」臨死前向大家述說了牠夢見的動物樂園景象,號召推翻一切動物災難的根源-人類統治,建立一個沒有剝削、平等友愛的社會。在牠的鼓動下,農莊裡的動物驅逐了農夫,焚毀了象徵農夫權力的鞭子,開始了平等美好的生活。然而不久,充當首領的兩頭公豬「拿破崙」和「斯諾鮑」之間發生分歧。能善辨的「斯諾鮑」主張建造風車來減輕動物的勞動強度,然而在對此主張表決時,慣弄權術的「拿破崙」放出牠豢養的數隻惡犬將「斯諾鮑」逐出了農莊,並將此後農莊的一切挫折、歉收、失敗也都歸罪於「斯諾鮑」的暗中破壞與顛覆。從此,治理農莊的群豬便逐漸侵佔起其他動物的勞動成果,並獨吞農莊上出產牛奶和蘋果。當其他動物露出不滿情緒時,「拿破崙」手下先以巧言詭辯進行宣傳,繼之以劊子手的殺戮清洗,一時屍骨成堆,到處血雨腥風。後來,「拿破崙」開始與由人統治的鄰近農場打起交道。動物農莊的統治者徹底背叛了「長者」的遺教,牠們將「七條誡律」中的「位何動物不得飲酒」篡改為「任何動物不得飲酒過量」,將「任何動物不得殺害其他動物」改為「任何動物不得殺害其他動物而不陳述理由」。「動物主義」遺教的真髓「所有動物一律平等」,也被修正為「所有動物一律平等,但有的動物較之其他動物更加高等」。最後,農莊的統治者居然都穿起了衣服,與鄰近的農場主人一起喝酒打牌。遺教遭到背叛,理想陷於破滅。農莊裡的動物又回復到從前受奴役的地位。
*本書中譯本<<動物農莊>>由崇文館出版
George Orwell's chilling fable of Soviet Russia's brutal dictatorship, Animal Farm brings to life in lucid, uncomplicated language the disastrous project of Russian Communism. This Penguin Modern classics edition includes an introduction by Malcolm Bradbury
'All animals are equal - but some are more equal than others'
When the downtrodden animals of Manor Farm overthrow their master Mr Jones and take over the farm themselves, they imagine it is the beginning of a life of freedom and equality. But gradually a cunning, ruthless élite among them, masterminded by the pigs Napoleon and Snowball, starts to take control. Soon the other animals discover that they are not all as equal as they thought, and find themselves hopelessly ensnared as one form of tyranny is replaced with another.
'It is the history of a revolution that went wrong - and of the excellent excuses that were forthcoming at every step for the perversion of the original doctrine,' wrote Orwell for the first edition of Animal Farm in 1945. Orwell wrote the novel at the end of 1943, but it almost remained unpublished; its savage attack on Stalin, at that time Britain's ally, led to the book being refused by publisher after publisher. Orwell's simple, tragic fable has since become a world-famous classic.