Since the election of the bloated, orange pustule, dystopian fiction has become so popular that George Orwell’s iconic novel 1984 has jumped to the top of bestseller lists around the world. Penguin publishing has announced that it is rushing another 75,000 copies of their mass market edition on the Signet Classics imprint to press. But the 1949 book is not the only dystopian political fiction to see renewed interest. Books such as Philip Roth’s The Plot Against America (see yesterday’s post on TBTP) and Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale are experiencing booming sales.
I was happy to see that one of my favorite bookstores (and the depository for much of my literature spending) Labyrinth Books in Princeton, N.J. created a special display to promote classic from the genre. If you’re interested in dystopian fiction, these titles are a good place to start.