George Orwell wrote the manuscript between November 1943 and February 1944 after his experiences during the Spanish Civil War, which he described in Homage to Catalonia (1938).
dʒˈɔːɹdʒ ˈɔːɹwɛl ɹˈoʊt ðə mˈænjuːskɹˌɪpt bᵻtwˌiːn noʊvˈɛmbɚ nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd fˈoːɹɾi θɹˈiː ænd fˈɛbɹuːˌɛɹi nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd fˈoːɹɾi fˈoːɹ ˈæftɚ hɪz ɛkspˈiəɹɪənsᵻz dˈʊɹɹɪŋ ðə spˈænɪʃ sˈɪvəl wˈɔːɹ, wˌɪtʃ hiː dᵻskɹˈaɪbd ɪn hˈɑːmɪdʒ tə kˌæɾɐlˈoʊniə nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd θˈɜːɾi ˈeɪt.