Animal Farm

George Orwell's contribution to human liberty, I will contend for the sake of argument, is greater than that of any other single man or woman in the 20th century. There is no remotely conclusive way to prove that. But his "Animal Farm" and "1984" are among the century's most widely read volumes. Their epiphanic truth did more to alert the reading population of the world to the innate perfidy of utopian totalitarianism - Left and Right - than any other argument, act, party or platform. When I was a college kid, the majority of my acquaintances were New York "progressives" -proudly "Red diaper babies."

At 8 o'clock this evening, Turner Network Television, which coyly designates itself "The Best Movie Studio on Television," will broadcast a two-hour adaptation of George Orwell's "Animal Farm." If you are getting married or being launched into space at that moment, rest easy: Seven "encores" are scheduled over the next two weeks.TNT's publicity declares this "the most ambitious film ever made for television." Not only that, TNT also proclaims that the film "is destined to become the most important television event of the year."

Suggesting to farmers that they raise deer is a little like asking the owner of a candy store to start an ant colony.To most farmers, deer are an uninvited wild herd of 30 or 40 devouring cash crops. But a Taneytown farmer is hoping to persuade other farmers and state legislators that domesticated species of deer would make money, not eat it."They take a look at the wild deer here and think these are the same, but these animals, the way they're grouped up and treated is just the same as beef or dairy cattle would be," said Leonard Miller.

George Orwell(1903-1950)Born Eric Arthur Blair, Orwell was an English novelist, best known for "Animal Farm" and "1984.""Animal Farm," set on a barnyard with animals as the characters, is Orwell's expression of anti-Sovietism. "1984" is Orwell's interpretation of the future. He saw it as having an omnipresent demagogue known as "Big Brother."Orwell also wrote "Down and Out in Paris and London," after having lived among the lower classes in Europe. Orwell later wrote on his dread for communism in "Homage to Catalonia."

CHANGING THE DIETS of cows, pigs and chickens could help address the serious problem of runoff pollution from farms. Reducing animal manure, by altering livestock feeds, would mean less waste available to foul the Chesapeake watershed.With agriculture accounting for nearly half the harmful nitrogen and phosphorus reaching the bay, that's no small factor. But the trade-off would be higher prices for consumers, as well as for the farmer.The technology and policy that have provided Americans with low-cost food have also created a system that disrupts the natural agricultural cycle, overloading the environment with excess chemicals and manure that flow off the land into our waters.

Sometime in July, call up everybody you know who is genuinely concerned about human liberty and invite them to a 50th birthday party for George Orwell's "Animal Farm."To mark that book's historic first half-century, Harcourt Brace & Co., the original publisher, has produced a special edition, gloriously ornamented with paintings and drawings by Ralph Steadman (180 pages. $26). Or there is a current simple paperback copy available (Signet Classic. 128 pages. $4.95).You know "Animal Farm." It is said to be among the 20 bestsellers in the entire history of publishing.

George Orwell's "Animal Farm" derives much of its power from the contrast between a simple little fable about animals and the biting satire this fable conveys.In the opening production of its fourth season, the Bowman Ensemble maximizes this power by contrasting an almost naive, childlike theatrical approach with Orwell's sophisticated message about the corruption of power.J. Marshall Walker's set design consists primarily of a small, square barnyard covered with mulch, and the main elements in Brian Chetelet's costume designs are T-shirts bearing the names of the animals (with the noted exception of the hens' shirts, which bear the name of their labor union: "Egg Makers Local")

'Animal Farm' opens Bowman Ensemble seasonThe Bowman Ensemble launches its fourth season Wednesday with a revival of one of the most controversial shows ever to play Baltimore -- George Orwell's "Animal Farm," adapted by Peter Hall with music by Richard Peaslee and lyrics by Adrian Mitchell. Last seen here in 1986 at the Mechanic Theatre in a production by the National Theatre of Great Britain, "Animal Farm" was deleted from the official program of the Theatre of Nations festival following protests from the former Soviet Union.

Writers and lovers, I have often observed, have something in common: Both must be willing to face, in the pursuit of their goals, the terrifying possibility of rejection.Of course, in the case of the rejected lover, usually the party doing the rejecting is smart enough to pull his or her punches; to dress up the rebuff in some flattering, verbal ensemble.Example: "I'm sorry, Hugo, but this just isn't going to work out. You're just too smart and handsome for someone like me."Or: "Alice, this has nothing to do with you, but I've decided to move to Nepal and become a Buddhist monk."