Concerns life in an authoritarian regime as lived by Winston Smith, an intellectual worker at the Ministry of Truth, and his degradation when he runs afoul of the totalitarian government of Oceania, the state in which he lives in the year that he presumes is 1984
Author:
George Orwell
Genre:
Intelligent Science Fiction,
Dystopian,
Political and Social Satire
Publisher:
Secker and Warburg,
Signet Classics
Date Published:
June 8, 1949
ISBN:
0-452-28423-6
Format:
Novel
This negative utopia called "1984" was written in 1948. The author, George Orwell, (whose real names were Eric Arthur Blair) was already dying of tuberculosis (in his native England) when it was completed. The book used metaphors to convey the author's perception of the Soviet Union. It has all the essences of a future read: at least in that 1948 when it was first published. And like the "Animal Farm" before it, offers its reader only one functional gear: forward. I often enjoy … more
There are very few writers whose work has been so profound that their names have become adjectives. Shakespearean. Kafkaesque. Orwellian. 1984 remains George Orwell's greatest legacy, a fact shared by Roberto Bolano's novel 2666; both books with a four-digit number as the title, both written frantically by authors who knew they were dying, both profound in their exploration of human cruelty, both lifting the veil of propaganda and rhetoric to get to the Truth underneath. … more
Pretty dry (dare I say boring) read in places, but the discussion about total context manipulation and its implications still remain pretty scary and relevant
This was a well written book and one that receives not even a modicum of the attention it deserves. While the book begins by describing the social caste system and the dangers of becoming to personable within such, it is more of a descriptor of how technology and the application of social labels tends to be an implicit divisionary tactic between those within a social group. Winston's difficulty in negotiating his own personal feelings and the enforced loyalty to his … more
1984 is one of those eponymous books that is probably known more for its setting than the actual story. It's the originator of the 'Big Brother' that we have all become familiar with. It's now used to refer to overbearing government schemes which shows just how pervasive this book is in modern society. Orwell was a proponent of writing in plain English without obfuscation and his literary style is obvious throughout. It's a very easy book to read but don't let that fool … more