1984, George Orwell
1984, George Orwell
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1984

Author: George Orwell

Narrator: Theo Solomon

Unabridged: 12 hr 18 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 07/02/2024


Synopsis

One of the most celebrated classics of the twentieth century, this cautionary tale of a man trapped under the gaze of an authoritarian state is more relevant now than ever before.“Thoughtcrime was not a thing that could be concealed for ever. You might dodge successfully for a while, even for years, but sooner or later they were bound to get you.”Winston Smith works in the Ministry of Truth—or Minitrue as it is called in Newspeak—where he alters newspapers and reports to follow the arbitrary dictates of Big Brother’s propaganda. Beneath his outward conformity, however, Winston dreams of sharing his treasonable thoughts andbreaking through the loneliness in which he lives.Thus he takes his first dangerous steps, writing a diary of his doubts and then falling in love with a woman of the Party, the beautiful and brave Julia. They know their love is doomed, but Julia says, “They can make you say anything—anything—but they can’t make you believe it.”But in Oceania, there is no possibility of solidarity, rebellion, or love—and the Party can reach anywhere.First published in 1949, this disturbing novel that George Orwell wrote during a time of great social and political unrest centers on the consequences of totalitarianism, mass surveillance, and repressive regimentation of people and behaviors within society.This classic of dystopian fiction contributed new words that became part of common English usage, including Big Brother, doublethink, newspeak, and thoughtcrime. The adjective "Orwellian" has come to mean government deception, surveillance, and misleading terminology.Cover illustration & Design by Derek Anderson and Joel Anderson. © Anderson Design Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Licensed by Anderson Design Group.

About George Orwell

Eric Arthur Blair (1903-1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is marked by lucid prose, awareness of social injustice, opposition to totalitarianism, and outspoken support of democratic socialism. He is best known for the allegorical novella Animal Farm (1945) and the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949). Orwell's work continues to influence popular and political culture, and the term Orwellian - descriptive of totalitarian or authoritarian social practices - has entered the language together with many of his neologisms, including Big Brother, Thought Police, newspeak, doublethink, and thoughtcrime.

About Theo Solomon

Theo Solomon is an Earphones Award–winning narrator who has worked extensively on stage, on screen, and behind the mic. He has performed across London and Nottingham, and his television work includes roles on Temple and Enterprice.


Reviews

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Quotes

“One of the most significant novels of the twentieth century.” The Guardian (London)

“A profound, terrifying, and wholly fascinating book…Orwell’s theory of power is developed brilliantly.” The New Yorker

“The novel endures for its chilling portrayal of the dangers of a post-truth surveillance state.” O, The Oprah Magazine

“No novel of the past century has had more influence than George Orwell’s 1984.” The Atlantic

“A work of extraordinary quality and intensity.” The Independent (London)

“Orwell’s novel escorts us so quietly, so directly, and so dramatically from our own day to the fate which may be ours in the future, that the experience is a blood-chilling one.” Saturday Review

“A book that goes through the reader like an east wind, cracking the skin…Such are the originality, the suspense, the speed of writing, and withering indignation that it is impossible to put the book down.” V. S. Pritchett, British author and literary critic


Awards

  • Prometheus Award
  • BBC’s Big Read Poll of the UK’s Best-Loved Books
  • New York Times Book Review pick
  • PBS Great American Read selection
  • Time Magazine's Best 100 English-Language Novels from 1923–2005
  • Oprah Book Club
  • New York Times bestseller
  • A USA Today bestseller
  • Washington Post Pick
  • New York Public Library Staff Pick