George Orwell: Nineteen eighty-four (1990, Penguin)
325 pages
English language
Published Aug. 20, 1990 by Penguin.
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)
Novels (Animal Farm / Nineteen Eighty-Four)
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)
Novels (Animal Farm / Nineteen Eighty-Four)
A masterpiece, as a political theory. Haunting futurology. Dense and heavy description of its society. However, i found the technology framework poorly detailed, which should act as an important pressure point, a tension instrument for the whole concept.
Re-read during the pandemic. Had been meaning to do so as it became clear that its lessons were not heeded but put into practice. Fortunately, incompetence has hindered success. But the cruelty and indifference behind the actions is eerily reminiscent of big brother.
This was even better in the reread. The writing is so crisp, the ideas so relevant.
I'd read critiques and was psyching myself up for disappointment, it had been years and years and years since I'd read it. Luckily I found out that - while the critiques weren't totally off the mark - they weren't anywhere near strong enough to take away from the power and timelessness of this work.
Newspeak alone makes this a legendary work: doublethink, facecrime and duckspeak are almost comically relevant today.
This was even better in the reread. The writing is so crisp, the ideas so relevant.
I'd read critiques and was psyching myself up for disappointment, it had been years and years and years since I'd read it. Luckily I found out that - while the critiques weren't totally off the mark - they weren't anywhere near strong enough to take away from the power and timelessness of this work.
Newspeak alone makes this a legendary work: doublethink, facecrime and duckspeak are almost comically relevant today.
Great dystopian fiction though its hard to believe in a totalitarian state so competent that it becomes immortal.
I was pleasantly surprised how much of the story I had retained from junior high. Probably because the novel is remarkably short, a trait I had forgotten.
Still a bit dull and definitely depressing but I have to say an audiobook is the best possible experience for this particular piece.
There are a few things that I find riveting in 1984:
- The idea that information control can shape reality. I first read 1984 in college, before algorithms played such a huge role in our lives. Today the notion that influencing information access can shape a populations' perception of the world, encourage opinion, shape our behaviors is all too real.
- The sense of hopelessness is absolute. I've never felt so mournful finishing a book. At the end, the world of individual liberty and hope has just completed fading from view. As Winston capitulates, the state continues its inexorable march to consuming the whole of the human experience, subverting romantic relationships, subverting the relationship between children and parents, even purging language of unorthodox concepts.
I probably shouldn't read books like this on the road. What a downer.
There are a few things that I find riveting in 1984:
- The idea that information control can shape reality. I first read 1984 in college, before algorithms played such a huge role in our lives. Today the notion that influencing information access can shape a populations' perception of the world, encourage opinion, shape our behaviors is all too real.
- The sense of hopelessness is absolute. I've never felt so mournful finishing a book. At the end, the world of individual liberty and hope has just completed fading from view. As Winston capitulates, the state continues its inexorable march to consuming the whole of the human experience, subverting romantic relationships, subverting the relationship between children and parents, even purging language of unorthodox concepts.
I probably shouldn't read books like this on the road. What a downer.
Dwaplusdobra książka.
Distressing, infuriating, and bone-chilling. A book that everyone should read.
It's scary how well it, for some parts, resonates with the present. However, it's relieving that today, it seems impossible for people to ever become stupid and languid enough for this Orwellian dystopia to become reality.
Distressing, infuriating, and bone-chilling. A book that everyone should read.
It's scary how well it, for some parts, resonates with the present. However, it's relieving that today, it seems impossible for people to ever become stupid and languid enough for this Orwellian dystopia to become reality.
Seemed like an appropriate last book to close the year of 2016. I first read 1984 in the year 1984, but I was only 12 then, so rereading it now gave a much deeper appreciation for the depth of Orwell's insight. If you'd asked me 10 years ago I would have said Brave New World had come closer to anticipating our modern problems, but after watching the proponents of Brexit and the Trump campaign flat out lie and deny the truth with no accountability or consequence, I'm no longer so sure that Orwell didn't come closer to the mark. Considering the book was written in 1948, that's no small feat.
Two quotes that struck me as particularly relevant:
"Talking to her, he realized how easy it was to present an appearance of orthodoxy while having no grasp whatever of what orthodoxy meant. In a way, the world-view of the Party …
Seemed like an appropriate last book to close the year of 2016. I first read 1984 in the year 1984, but I was only 12 then, so rereading it now gave a much deeper appreciation for the depth of Orwell's insight. If you'd asked me 10 years ago I would have said Brave New World had come closer to anticipating our modern problems, but after watching the proponents of Brexit and the Trump campaign flat out lie and deny the truth with no accountability or consequence, I'm no longer so sure that Orwell didn't come closer to the mark. Considering the book was written in 1948, that's no small feat.
Two quotes that struck me as particularly relevant:
"Talking to her, he realized how easy it was to present an appearance of orthodoxy while having no grasp whatever of what orthodoxy meant. In a way, the world-view of the Party imposed itself most successfully on people incapable of understanding it. They could be made to accept the most flagrant violations of reality, because they never fully grasped the enormity of what was demanded of them, and were not sufficiently interested in public events to notice what was happening. By lack of understanding they remained sane. They simply swallowed everything, and what they swallowed did them no harm, because it left no residue behind, just as a grain of corn will pass undigested through the body of a bird."
"DOUBLETHINK means the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one’s mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them ... DOUBLETHINK lies at the very heart of Ingsoc, since the essential act of the Party is to use conscious deception while retaining the firmness of purpose that goes with complete honesty. To tell deliberate lies while genuinely believing in them, to forget any fact that has become inconvenient, and then, when it becomes necessary again, to draw it back from oblivion for just so long as it is needed, to deny the existence of objective reality and all the while to take account of the reality which one denies — all this is indispensably necessary. Even in using the word DOUBLETHINK it is necessary to exercise DOUBLETHINK. For by using the word one admits that one is tampering with reality; by a fresh act of DOUBLETHINK one erases this knowledge; and so on indefinitely, with the lie always one leap ahead of the truth."
Two words recurrently came to my mind while I was reading the book – “Hauntingly beautiful”.
That’s how brilliant this book is. I would’ve given it 10 out of 5 stars, if I could. Orwell delivers a masterful stroke of fiction – or is it fiction? It seems more like a premonition of sorts, a guide as to what could possibly happen in future if we’re not careful. I had heard about what a genius Orwell was - and though I got a taste of it in “Animal Farm” – “1984” was kind-of-a full blown force hitting your face!
In short, this is a story of the world in a dystopian setting, where a Totalitarian empire presides over much of humanity, controlling them in every aspect possible – down to their thoughts. A world where every action of yours is recorded and monitored by the “Telescreen” – not unlike the …
Two words recurrently came to my mind while I was reading the book – “Hauntingly beautiful”.
That’s how brilliant this book is. I would’ve given it 10 out of 5 stars, if I could. Orwell delivers a masterful stroke of fiction – or is it fiction? It seems more like a premonition of sorts, a guide as to what could possibly happen in future if we’re not careful. I had heard about what a genius Orwell was - and though I got a taste of it in “Animal Farm” – “1984” was kind-of-a full blown force hitting your face!
In short, this is a story of the world in a dystopian setting, where a Totalitarian empire presides over much of humanity, controlling them in every aspect possible – down to their thoughts. A world where every action of yours is recorded and monitored by the “Telescreen” – not unlike the “All-Seeing Eye” from Lord of the Rings.
With all of the debate surrounding the FBI vs. Apple case and NSA and privacy, I fear we are slowly reaching towards the Orwellian universe. With that in mind, I think this line summarizes it the best – “1984 was a warning, not an instruction manual”.
so depressed
This book was more disturbing than I thought it would be. While well written, I couldn't really get enjoyment out of the story. I guess I like to believe that mankind is mostly good and will always rise over evil. So, I guess I prefer books that reinforce those beliefs. And this was certainly not the book for that.
This book was more disturbing than I thought it would be. While well written, I couldn't really get enjoyment out of the story. I guess I like to believe that mankind is mostly good and will always rise over evil. So, I guess I prefer books that reinforce those beliefs. And this was certainly not the book for that.
A frightening look at the dangers of total government control, the loss of freedom of speech and thought, and the importance of continuing this discourse before it happens to us. Some might say it already has, but this book shows how terrible it really can be.
“He who controls the past controls the future. He who controls the present controls the past.”
― George Orwell, 1984
A frightening look at the dangers of total government control, the loss of freedom of speech and thought, and the importance of continuing this discourse before it happens to us. Some might say it already has, but this book shows how terrible it really can be.
“He who controls the past controls the future. He who controls the present controls the past.”
― George Orwell, 1984
Very good read, though a little dated now. The premise is still 100% believable. I read this first in school but have re-read it several times first. A gripping tale of the oppression of people by a totalitarian government who hide behind the figurehead of "Big Brother".
Very good read, though a little dated now. The premise is still 100% believable. I read this first in school but have re-read it several times first. A gripping tale of the oppression of people by a totalitarian government who hide behind the figurehead of "Big Brother".
