1984

De: George Orwell

Narrado por: Theo Solomon

One of the most celebrated classics of the twentieth century, this cautionary tale of a man trapped under the gaze of an authoritarian state is more relevant now than ever before.

“Thoughtcrime was not a thing that could be concealed for ever. You might dodge successfully for a while, even for years, but sooner or later they were bound to get you.”

Winston Smith works in the Ministry of Truth—or Minitrue as it is called in Newspeak—where he alters newspapers and reports to follow the arbitrary dictates of Big Brother’s propaganda. Beneath his outward conformity, however, Winston dreams of sharing his treasonable thoughts and breaking through the loneliness in which he lives.

Thus he takes his first dangerous steps, writing a diary of his doubts and then falling in love with a woman of the Party, the beautiful and brave Julia. They know their love is doomed, but Julia says, “They can make you say anything—anything—but they can’t make you believe it.”

But in Oceania, there is no possibility of solidarity, rebellion, or love—and the Party can reach anywhere.

First published in 1949, this disturbing novel that George Orwell wrote during a time of great social and political unrest centers on the consequences of totalitarianism, mass surveillance, and repressive regimentation of people and behaviors within society.

This classic of dystopian fiction contributed new words that became part of common English usage, including Big Brother, doublethink, newspeak, and thoughtcrime. The adjective "Orwellian" has come to mean government deception, surveillance, and misleading terminology.

Cover illustration & Design by Derek Anderson and Joel Anderson. © Anderson Design Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Licensed by Anderson Design Group.

©1949 Harcourt Brace and Company. © renewed 1977 by Sonia Brownell Orwell (P)2024 Blackstone Publishing

Read out of spite - didn't regret a moment.

This is one of the most misquoted books of all time. People love to talk about how "Orwellian" this or that is, and talk about "thought police" without knowing what the h*** they are talking about. So I gave this a listen and aside from Animal Farm, it is my favorite book of all time. I have had multiple occassions during this listen where I had to pause and just reflect on what was being said. AMAZING book. The performance at no point got in the way of the story as they some times do. For the most part, that's all I ask for as a listener, so A+ job to them as well.

Cautionary Classic

Story is a warning against authoritarianism with concepts still relevent today (especially in the US)(writing this is 2025). Narration is also on point. Definitely recommend a listen.

Enlightening story reflective of current times.

George Orwell shows us the dangers of socialism and communism in a society that allows their government to grow out of control.

NEW SPEAKE

Parallels to the Democratic of today are astounding, every Dem Senator, Congressman or dem in any position has this book at the ready and is thoroughly studied and partially implemented today.

Brilliant

Loved every minute of this. Fascinating. Listened to it twice. The narrator is great — he keeps a quick pace and is very enjoyable to listen to.