Author | George Orwell |
---|---|
Cover artist | Michael Kennar |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Genre | Dystopian, political fiction, social science fiction |
Set in | London, Airstrip One, Oceania |
Publisher | Secker & Warburg |
Publication date | 8 June 1949 |
Media type | Printed (hardback and paperback) |
Pages | 328 |
OCLC | 470015866 |
823.912[1] | |
Preceded by | Animal Farm |
Nineteen Eighty-Four is a novel written by George Orwell in 1948.
The book is what Orwell thought the world might look like in the future. It describes a terrifying world where governments control and watch everyone's lives.
The main character is Winston Smith. He lives in a country that is ruled by a powerful "Party" and its leader Big Brother. He dreams of changing this. He falls in love with Julia,[2] who agrees with him, and he leads her into rebellion against the government.
The book is famous. Many of its words and phrases are also famous. Among these are Big Brother, Newspeak, Room 101 and unperson. In 2005, Time (a magazine) called it one of the 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to 2005.
In the European Union, and the United Kingdom, the copyright of the book ran out on 1 January 2021.[3] That means anyone can reprint the book, or use it as a basis for the story on another medium.