Hidden away in the Record Department of the sprawling Ministry of Truth, Winston Smith skilfully rewrites the past to suit the needs of the Party. Yet he inwardly rebels against the totalitarian world he lives in, which demands absolute obedience and controls him through the all-seeing telescreens and the watchful eye of Big Brother, symbolic head of the Party. In his longing for truth and liberty, Smith begins a secret love affair with a fellow-worker Julia, but soon discovers the true price of freedom is betrayal.
With an Introduction by Ben Pimlott
‘The book of the twentieth century … haunts us with an ever-darker relevance’
Independent
‘Rightly remembered for its prescience, but 1984 has more heart than that might suggest. A pervasive tawdriness is the backdrop to a doomed love affair in this perfect portrayal of overwhelming loss.’
Catherine O’Flynn
Pages: 400
