1984 Nineteen Eighty-Four (Penguin Modern Classics)

1984 is one of those rare novels that feels just as urgent today as when it was written. Orwell’s vision of a dystopian future — complete with mass surveillance, thought control, and rewritten history — is both unsettling and thought-provoking. The prose is direct and stark, but never dull. The world-building is incredibly detailed, and the character of Winston Smith gives the story an emotional weight that makes the philosophical ideas hit harder. "Big Brother," "doublethink," and "thoughtcrime" have become part of modern language for a reason. The Penguin edition is well-printed and comfortable to read, with good paper quality and clear type. An essential read for anyone interested in politics, media, or the psychology of control.

Good political writing is rare and the political novel, let alone a good political novel, is even rarer. Orwell considered this the case even in his own time when he was reading politcal fantasy novels written by conservatives about storing sufficient coal to beat the miners (a prospect Orwell thought was ludicrous but which became historical fact following the election of the Thatcher government). It became Orwell's mission to make political writing an art, his collosal output in investigative journalism, literary reviews and polemical essays is tribute to the fact. However Orwell is remembered for his political fiction, Animal Farm and 1984, which he turned to as the next most popular medium to the radio show. Of the two books 1984 is the more complex, at least this was Orwell's intent but he spent much of his time bemoaning popular misconceptions about his books. While he considered Animal Farm a failure in conveying a simple message about revolution betrayed, with reviewers and the public seizing on passages which supported a more cynical conservatism, 1984 was the greater disappointment. 1984 is a future dystopia but it was also a novel about his day and age, for instance the generic Victory gin and cigarettes a depiction of post war shortages and "Prolefeed", that mix of crime story and sex scandals, the tabloid press (then and now). People often read 1984 as a glooming, "end of the world is nye" style novel, warning that once freedom is gone it wont ever be recovered and everyone breaks under pressure. There is an element of truth in so far that Orwell struggled with what he considered his own propensity for u turns (the "no war but class war" war resistor who became a "revolutionary patriot" at the time of writing "The Lion and The Unicorn"). However 1984 is a grand satire on both authoritarianism per se and authoritarian personalities in particular, the joke is on Big Brother. The regime is horrific but its doomed to failure and the writing is on the wall for Big Brother. All they can produce with their best efforts and unscrupulous schemes is a gibbering wreck, less than a man. There is entirely nothing enduring about the regime itself, amnesia hasnt stopped at foreign policy since Smith cant recall his own up bringing too well. Basic societal building blocks, such as the family are going to pieces, strange Malthusian ethics prevail and everyone, friend and foe, is miserable, insecure and wretched. This is a book which can be enjoyed on a number of levels, its well written the pace is good, characterisation believeable and sympathetic and everyone will have their own memorable passages to talk over with friends (I personally remember the secret police smashing the snow globe as significant). It is good political writing but it has been considered equally good science fiction or simply a good book. I recommend it to any reader.

The book itself? Overall - Not bad and yes kind of an interesting concept but I personally didn't care for the end or the initial build up (however necessary it was). More immediately/obviously relevant than other Sci-fi of its kind but I still prefer Brave New World and Fahrenheit 451. Why? Picking up and reading this book I almost felt like the characters in it, in so much as there was an opinion preceding this book and to think anything other was impossible. It is in popular and educated opinion highly held and significant, though I'd bet most of those who read and reviewed / shared that opinion probably felt that way before they'd even turned a page. I found it terribly bleak. The first half of the story is depressing and at times boring (How do you create character and interest in a grey mundane scenario / existence?). It does pick up and then ends suddenly followed by a drawn out (though not uninteresting) aftermath - I do not wish to give too much away. The meaning, its relevance, well sure it's there and yes it's timeless more so because its themes of inequality will resonate with anyone living in a class system or working the 9-5 when we would rather be living it up. Its his world view which was smart enough to reflect closely enough the prevailing world powers and their divisions that pulls it together and gives it the credit its due. Its interpretation will forever change, subtly, like any good prophecy without discredit. Im sure plenty will disagree.

High quality book manufacturing. Very aesthetically pleasing.

Quality is good too but the drawings on cover are wearing a little, but hey! Don't judge book by it's cover right? 😉 seriously though, good novel.

I've read it a few times but didn't have a copy of it and decided to get this beautiful edition. Really well bound and the book quality is great. * this I consider to be a book that everyone must read at least once!!! * It is brilliant and quite scary!

Le livre est beau, comme j'ai espéré. Je suis content

You can never go wrong with reading about dystopian societies as pictured from a post-WWII era. This is becoming all too common in the modern day. Especially in Europe and Asia.