Nineteen Eighty-Four
The novel that gave the world Big Brother, doublethink, and Room 101. It permanently changed how we talk about power, surveillance, and truth.
The Story
George Orwell's 1949 masterpiece follows Winston Smith, a low-ranking Party member in Airstrip One who secretly harbours doubts about the totalitarian regime of Oceania and its all-seeing figurehead, Big Brother. He begins a forbidden love affair and dares to rebel. A decision the Party has been waiting for. Published by Secker and Warburg. 328 pages. English. ISBN 978-0-451-52493-5.
Reading 1984
Intensity
/
Part
"If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face — forever.
"George Orwell
Orwell wrote this while dying of tuberculosis on a remote Scottish island. He finished in 1948 and flipped the last two digits for the title. He died seven months after publication.
The book gave the English language Big Brother, doublethink, thoughtcrime, and Newspeak. Over 30 million copies sold. Sales spike every time authoritarianism makes the news.