When George Orwell joined up to fight in the Spanish Civil War, it seemed like the beginning of ‘an era of equality and freedom’. In Homage to Catalonia he vividly chronicles his experiences: the revolutionary euphoria of Barcelona, the courage of the ordinary Spanish men and women he fought alongside, the terror and confusion of the front, his near-fatal bullet wound and the cynical betrayal of his allies. Here he brings to bear all the force of his humanity, passion and integrity to describe the bright hopes and desperate disillusionment of a chaotic, brutal war.