1984

'It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.'

The year is 1984 and war and revolution have left the world unrecognisable. Great Britain, now known as Airstrip One, is ruled by the Party, led by Big Brother. Mass surveillance is everything and The Thought Police are employed to ensure that no individual thinking is allowed. Winston Smith works at The Ministry of Truth, carefully rewriting history, but he dreams of freedom and of rebellion. It is here that he meets and falls in love with Julia. They start a secret, forbidden affair - but nothing can be kept secret, and they are forced to face consequences more terrifying than either of them could have ever imagined.

A DYSTOPIAN MASTERPIECE, NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR IS THE POWERFUL AND PROPHETIC NOVEL THAT DEFINED THE 20TH CENTURY.

Review

Orwell remains the most indispensable English writer of his period ― Observer

Matchlessly sharp and fresh... The clearest and most compelling English prose style this century ― Sunday Times

Many writers and journalists have tried to imitate his particular kind of clarity without possessing anything like his moral authority ― The Times

The book of the twentieth century...haunts us with an ever-darker relevance ― Independent

His final masterpiece... Enthralling and indispensable for understanding modern history ― New York Review of Books

About the Author

George Orwell (Author)
George Orwell (1903–1950) is one of England's most famous writers and social commentators. He is the author of the classic political satire Animal Farm and the dystopian masterpiece Nineteen Eighty-Four. He is also well known for his essays and journalism, particularly his works covering his travels and his time fighting in the Spanish Civil War. His writing is celebrated for its piercing clarity, purpose and wit and his books continue to be bestsellers all over the world.

Robert Harris (Introducer)
Robert Harris is the author of fifteen bestselling novels: the Cicero Trilogy - Imperium, Lustrum and Dictator - Fatherland, Enigma, Archangel, Pompeii, The Ghost, The Fear Index, An Officer and a Spy, which won four prizes including the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, Conclave, Munich, The Second Sleep, V2 and Act of Oblivion. His work has been translated into forty languages and nine of his books have been adapted for cinema and television. He lives in West Berkshire with his wife, Gill Hornby.