January 2012 Guest Editor Simon Lelic selects Nineteen Eighty-Four...
Not exactly an original pick, I realise, and some (irrationally, in my mind) would dispute its literary merits. On the other hand, it has proved almost Shakespearean in its impact on the English psyche – and certainly on mine. I read it first for GCSE English, and I still have the copy I should probably have returned to my teacher at the end of the school year.
Which makes me worry now that perhaps I have deprived someone else of the pleasure. I’m including it here as penance, but also because I couldn’t not.
The Lovereading view...
Chosen by the public through a survey to coincide with the 10th birthday celebrations of World Book Day 2007, this title is one of ‘the ten books the nation can’t live without’. Have you read them all? Below are links to each title and position on the list.
1. Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen
2. The Lord of the Rings JRR Tolkien
3. Jane Eyre Charlotte Brontë
4. Harry Potter JK Rowling
5. To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee
6. The Bible
7. Wuthering Heights Emily Brontë
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four George Orwell
9. His Dark Materials Philip Pullman
10. Great Expectations Charles Dickens
| Primary Genre | Dystopian and utopian fiction |
| Other Genres: |
THE JURA EDITION with new introduction by Alex Massie 'For him Jura was home' - Richard Blair on his father George Orwell 'The book of the twentieth century . . . haunts us with an ever-darker relevance' - Ben Pimlott, Independent 'The greatest British novel to have been written since the war' - Time Out 'His final masterpiece . . . enthralling and indispensable for understanding modern history' - New York Review of Books 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.
Nineteen Eighty-Four features in the following genres: Dystopian and utopian fiction, Classic fiction: general and literary, Gift Books, Narrative theme: Politics, Speculative fiction, Fiction, General Fiction, Stationery and miscellaneous items, Lifestyle, Hobbies and Leisure, Fiction: narrative themes
Hardback, Paperback, Ebook, CD-Audio, Paperback (b Format). £7.19, down from the £7.99 cover price. In Stock.
Nineteen Eighty-Four was written by George Orwell and published by Polygon an imprint of Birlinn Ltd
Nineteen Eighty-Four has 368 pages
£7.19, reduced from £7.99. In Stock.
