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Orwell

Orwell was born Eric Blair in 1903, in British India. His early work was highly political, mostly in essay form, and while prolific, isn't what presently carries his fame.

Under the pen name Orwell, Blair wrote two fictional political commentaries: 'Animal Farm' and 'Nineteen Eighty-Four.' The former was an allegory to Stalinism, and reads like a fairy tale. The latter is his most popular work - a dystopian demonstration of totalitarianism in action.

'Nineteen Eighty-Four' follows a man living in one of the world's three totalitarian super-states, headed by the 'Big Brother' figurehead who stands behind statements like 'Ware is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength.' The story chillingly demonstrates how powerful fear is as a tool of control.

7) Douglas Adams

To lighten things up, I'll recommend one of the most popular, brilliant, and hilarious writers of the latter 20th century: British author Douglas Noel Adams.

He is best known for combining comedy with science fiction in 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: the trilogy of four,' which actually has five, not four, parts: 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy,' 'The Restaurant at the End of the Universe,' 'Life, the Universe, and Everything,' 'So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish,' and 'Mostly Harmless.'

If anyone ever tells you that the question of the meaning of life can be answered by the number forty-two, look no further than Adams' work for an explanation.

8) Ray Bradbury

Bradbury was born in 1920. In 1932, after an inspiring run-in with a carnie, he devoted himself to writing and hasn't stopped since, claiming to be driven by a desire for immortality. The man writes every single day, and has written for many genres in addition to science fiction, namely mystery, fantasy, and horror.

Bradbury has written and published eleven novels. The most famous of which is 'Fahrenheit 451,' a dystopian piece about censorship which, while similar in some ways to Orwell's work, is much more fantastical, fun, and creative. He wrote the first draft in under a week, popping dimes into a pay-typewriter, but his speed in no way detracts from his quality: this book is one of only a handful that I just could not put down before finishing.

Along with is novels, Bradbury has published more (many more!) than a hundred short stories in magazines and bound collections, and shows no sign of stopping any time soon.

9) Isaac Asimov

Asimov came into the world in Russia in the twenties. The Russian-born American published in

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