Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984)

Winston Smith works for the Ministry of truth in London, chief city of Airstrip One. Big Brother stares out from every poster, the Thought Police uncover every act of betrayal. When Winston finds love with Julia, he discovers that life does not have to be dull and deadening, and awakens to new possibilities. Despite the police helicopters that hover and circle overhead, Winston and Julia begin to question the Party; they are drawn towards conspiracy. Yet Big Brother will not tolerate dissent - even in the mind. For those with original thoughts they invented Room 101... This is the essential edition of the essential book of modern times, 1984, now annotated for students with an introduction by D. J. Taylor. Ever since its publication in 1948, George Orwell’s terrifying vision of a totalitarian regime where Big Brother controls its citizens like ‘a boot stamping on a human face’ has become a touchstone for human freedom, and one of the most widely-read books in the world. In this new annotated edition Orwell’s biographer D. J. Taylor elucidates the full meaning of this timeless satire, explaining contemporary references in the novel, placing it in the context of Orwell’s life, elaborating on his extraordinary use of language and explaining the terms such as Newspeak, Doublethink and Room 101 that have become familiar phrases today. As he lay dying, George Orwell summoned his publisher Fred Warburg to his bedside. No longer capable of holding a pen, the writer dictated a message to the public about the world of his new novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four. "Don't let it happen," he concluded. "It depends on you." "Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past."In an age of inescapable surveillance, fake news, alternative facts, would-be Big Brothers and endless low-level wars, George Orwell's warning still speaks to us today, and with greater force than ever before. Republished with a new introduction by Dennis Glover, author of The Last Man in Europe, Orwell's prophetic masterpiece is truly a story for our times. Orwell's courage and his refusal to be silenced inspire hope that, ultimately, the spirit of humanity will win through. Ever since its publication in 1948, George Orwell’s terrifying vision of a totalitarian regime has become a touchstone for human freedom, and one of the most widely-read books in the world.George Orwell's dystopian masterpiece, Nineteen Eighty-Four is perhaps the most pervasively influential book of the twentieth century. Nineteen Eighty-Four: A Novel, often referred to as 1984, is a dystopian social science fiction novel by the English novelist George Orwell (the pen name of Eric Arthur Blair). It was published on 8 June 1949 by Secker & Warburg as Orwell's ninth and final book completed in his lifetime. Thematically, Nineteen Eighty-Four centres on the consequences of totalitarianism, mass surveillance, and repressive regimentation of persons and behaviours within society. Orwell, himself a democratic socialist, modelled the authoritarian government in the novel after Stalinist Russia. More broadly, the novel examines the role of truth and facts within politics and the ways in which they are manipulated. ---------- Also contained in: [Novels (Animal Farm / Burmese Days / Clergyman's Daughter / Coming Up for Air / Keep the Aspidistra Flying / Nineteen Eighty-Four)](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL1168045W) [Novels (Animal Farm / Nineteen Eighty-Four)](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL1167981W) [Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four: Text, Sources, Criticism](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL1168095W)

Orwell's final novel, 1984, is the story of one man's struggle against the ubiquitous, menacing state power ( Big Brother ) that tries to dictate nearly every aspect of human life. The novel is a classic in anti-utopian fiction, and a trenchant political satire that remains as relevant today as when it was first published.

Books of the Century; New York Times review, June 1949 - Mark Schorer

It is probable that no other work of this generation has made us desire freedom more earnestly or loathe tyranny with such fullness. 1984, the most contemporary novel of the year and who knows of now many past and to come, is a great examination into and dramatization of Lord Acton's famous apothegm, " power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrups absolutely. "

The year 1984 has come and gone, and George Orewll's prophetic, nightmare vision of the world we are becoming is timelier than ever. A vivid and frightening portrayal of a society that has lost every trace of individuality, of love, and of critical thought, 1984 becomes a powerful warning about the future of human freedom. The great modern classic of "Negative Utopia," Orewll's highly symbolic and startlingly original novel creates an imaginary world that is completely convincing, from the first sentence to the last four words. --back cover "Ninety Eighty-Four is Orwell's terrifing vision of a totalitarian future. Its hero, Winston Smith, is a worker at the Ministry of Truth, where he falsifies records for the party. Secretly subversive, he and his colleague Julia try to free themselves from political slavery but the price of freedom is betrayal."--Publisher's description Orwell's classic novel of one man's nightmare odyssey through a world ruled by warring states and a power structure that controls not only information but individual thought and memory Winston Smith and Julia join the underground opposition to the totalitarian government that would suffocate individuality It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.