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"Big Brother is Watching You."
"Orthodoxy means not thinking--not needing to think. Orthodoxy is unconsciousness."
"If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face-forever."
¿ George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four: A Novel (1949), a dystopian novel by George Orwell, is a brilliant work of fiction exposing totalitarianism. The protagonist, Winston Smith, is a minor party functionary living in London which is shattered by a nuclear war right after World War II. Working as a rewriter of history in the Ministry of Truth, his work is to rewrite history by bringing it in line with current political thinking. However, Winston's longing for truth and decency directs him to secretly rebel against the government. He embarks on a prohibited affair with Julia, a woman with the same mindset, and they rent a room in a region populated by proletariats. Winston and Julia, however, are unknowingly being watched closely by "Big Brother".
About the author
George Orwell (1903-1950)
Popularly known by his pen name 'George Orwell', Eric Arthur Blair was an English writer, critic, journalist, and essayist. Orwell's writings have been lauded for insightful commentary on issues concerning totalitarian forms of oppression, and for advocating democratic socialism and social justice. He was especially against the atrocities committed by the Soviet Communist Party and the dictatorial reign of Joseph Stalin.
As a journalist, Orwell invested himself in observing the everyday realities around him. As a result, his non-fictional texts, such as Down and Out in Paris and London, deeply engage with the social injustices that he witnessed around him. It was while serving in the Spanish Civil War (1936-39) that Orwell witnessed violence and atrocities being committed by fascist regimes - an experience that made a deep impact on him. His fictional works, especially Animal Farm and 1984, are allegories set in a dystopian world governed by highly oppressive forces, where power is arbitrary and unchecked, and people's thoughts, emotions, and ideas are subject to state surveillance.
Orwell's works continue to resonate with the readers of the 21st Century in critiquing fascist forces around the world.
