I know this is probably the most insipid possible point to raise over an interesting video, but why is everyone always telling us George Orwell's real name? Other authors don't seem to get the same treatment. In the world of pop music it's Elton John (whose original name was actually Walter Sloppycock or whatever it was), in literature it's George Orwell. Or they'll casually mention some fact about a certain Eric Blair and then pause to not so subtly observe your reaction.

It doesn't seem to me to be a very important thing to know. Like the occasional debate over who actually wrote Shakespeare's plays - probably this bloke called William Shakespeare, but maybe not, who knows - someone did it, and a jolly good job they did of it, and that person we call Shakespeare. The body of work is what counts, and good lord but Orwell had a hell of a body of work. Sometimes the bodies of actual fascists.

I'll do my best, having skills in neither stone cutting nor engraving. Here's what it might look like:

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j24/neptunetitan/RIP_peggedbea.png

In reply to this comment by peggedbea:
"everything was beautiful, and nothing hurt."
-kv

please make sure they put that on my tombstone.

In reply to this comment by kronosposeidon:
Hi Ho.

- Kurt Vonnegut, Slapstick

I think William Shakespeare was the wisest human being I ever heard of. To be perfectly frank, though, that's not saying much.

- Kurt Vonnegut, Hocus Pocus

What is it, what can it possibly be about blowjobs and golf?

- Martian visitor to Earthling, from Kurt Vonnegut's A Man Without A Country, the great man's last book.

As you might have guessed by now, I have a thing for Vonnegut.

"everything was beautiful, and nothing hurt."
-kv

please make sure they put that on my tombstone.

In reply to this comment by kronosposeidon:
Hi Ho.

- Kurt Vonnegut, Slapstick

I think William Shakespeare was the wisest human being I ever heard of. To be perfectly frank, though, that's not saying much.

- Kurt Vonnegut, Hocus Pocus

What is it, what can it possibly be about blowjobs and golf?

- Martian visitor to Earthling, from Kurt Vonnegut's A Man Without A Country, the great man's last book.

As you might have guessed by now, I have a thing for Vonnegut.

Hi Ho.

- Kurt Vonnegut, Slapstick

I think William Shakespeare was the wisest human being I ever heard of. To be perfectly frank, though, that's not saying much.

- Kurt Vonnegut, Hocus Pocus

What is it, what can it possibly be about blowjobs and golf?

- Martian visitor to Earthling, from Kurt Vonnegut's A Man Without A Country, the great man's last book.

As you might have guessed by now, I have a thing for Vonnegut.

I don't know if you meant to confine this to novels or not, but I'm going wider:

Tao Te Ching - Lao Tzu
Dune (whole series) - Frank Herbert
Live from Golgotha - Gore Vidal
Macbeth - William Shakespeare
Cryptonomicon - Neal Stephenson

I'm actually in the middle of Cryptonomicon right now, but I'm already confident it belongs in that list. 5 is too short, anyway:

Catch-22 - Joseph Heller
Galápagos - Kurt Vonnegut
The Hobbit & LotR - J. R. R. Tolkien
The Name of the Rose - Umberto Eco
Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury

There's probably a couple dozen I've forgotten at the moment, and there's a lot of other fantasy novels I really enjoyed, like Roger Zelazny's "Chronicles of Amber". But that's a good start.

*quality Choggie

How about resurrect William Shakespeare and give him the super power make people instantly speak in style of the dialogue of his plays.

>> ^MarineGunrock:
It is defined as: "sexual desire or behavior directed toward a person or persons of one's own sex."

Where exactly do you see other in that definition?

P.S.
"The lady doth protest too much, methinks." - William Shakespeare (Hamlet)

David Mamet joke...

There's a bum on the street, and he asks a passing lawyer "Brother, can you lend me a buck for a cup of coffee?".
The Lawyer looks at the bum with disdain in his eyes and responds "'Neither a borrower nor a lender be'- William Shakespeare".
The bum looks at the lawyer and says "'Fuck you, asshole'- David Mamet".