Tag Archives: 1984

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

George Orwell’s seminal dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four became a powerful symbol of resistance to totalitarianism. Last month an impressive reproduction of the novel’s original manuscript was released by SP Books. The only surviving Orwell manuscript of any of his works … Continue reading

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Why Orwell’s 1984 Still Matters

Each year around this time someone remembers that George Orwell’s iconic novel Nineteen Eighty- Four was first released in June of 1949. I think that bringing attention to the book is always a valuable exercise, now more than ever. Ironically, in … Continue reading

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Literary Infographics

Back in the olden days when I was a student some of my peers would avoid assignments by reading Cliff Notes rather than full books. If you’re not familiar, Cliff Notes were commercially produced summaries of full length books that … Continue reading

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Take a cruise on the Pequod

Back in May, the U.S. public broadcaster PBS launched the Great American Read program, an eight-part series that explores and celebrates the power of reading through 100 of America’s best-loved books. PBS recently released a wonderful series of posters inspired … Continue reading

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It’s Still 1984

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Covering Nineteen Eighty-Four

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Dystopian Literature Sells Bigly

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 … Continue reading

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It’s Always 1984 Somewhere

Shortly after the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, George Orwell volunteered to fight for the Republicans against Franco’s fascist Nationalist rebellion. He joined the far-left POUM ( Workers’ Party of Marxist Unification), in which he fought as an infantryman. In his … Continue reading

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