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  • 1984

  • New Classic Edition
  • By: George Orwell
  • Narrated by: Simon Prebble
  • Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (56,766 ratings)

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1984

By: George Orwell
Narrated by: Simon Prebble
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Publisher's summary

Blackstone Publishing presents a new recording of this immensely popular book.

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

George Orwell depicts a gray, totalitarian world dominated by Big Brother and its vast network of agents, including the Thought Police, a world in which news is manufactured according to the authorities’ will and people live tepid lives by rote.

Winston Smith, the hero with no heroic qualities, longs only for truth and decency. But living in a social system in which privacy does not exist and where those with unorthodox ideas are brainwashed or put to death, he knows there is no hope for him. He knows even as he continues to pursue his forbidden love affair that eventually he will come to destruction.

The year 1984 has come and gone, yet George Orwell’s nightmare vision in 1949 of the world we were becoming is still the great modern classic of negative Utopia. It is a prophetic and haunting tale that exposes the worst crimes imaginable: the destruction of freedom and truth.

©1949 Harcourt Brace and Company, renewed 1977 Sonia Brownell Orwell (P)2007 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Critic reviews

  • Nominee, 2008 Audie Award, Classic

"It is probable that no other work of this generation has made us desire freedom more earnestly or loathe tyranny with such fullness." (New York Times, 1949)

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What listeners say about 1984

Average customer ratings
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Classic

This is one of the first books I actually chose to read and it’s what got me into sci-fi. I’ve loved dystopian stories every since and between this one and animal farm. I don’t know which is better.

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must read

amazing book. a dystopia that we should avoid becoming. this is what happens when you destroy history rather than learn from it

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Wonderfully read

The narrator did an amazing job with this book. This book is a classic and simply a must read for everyone. Thank you!

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good

once I forgot I was really going on in the book definitely a spooky read man a lot of hidden information in this book Simon you a fool boy

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Gripping, Masterfully Done

Absolutely perfect narration, and nearly prophetic writing. May be the best audio book I've listened to.

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Orwell must have had a crystal ball while writing!

It blows my mind that this book was written in the 40's. Orwell must have had a crystal ball while writing this book! His foresight of technologies and the ways which they can be abused is uncanny! This is only part of how Engsoc (the ruling govt) maintains control. As this dystopian nightmare unfolds, you'll see many mirrors to our own societies. There are many troubling events and trends happening here and around the world. Orwell's views of history govts, politics and power woven into a fictional nation and great characters, really make you think.

This book will keep you on the edge of your seat. The narrator is fantastic! can't say enough about his reading!

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Going back in time…

I went back to revisit this timeless classic and found myself just as enthralled as I was the first time I read it.


It was interesting to hear it narrated in a British accent, which took me down different paths than when I originally read the book some 30 years ago and created images of characters and places in my mind’s eye and in my own voice.

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Excellent Narration for an Excellent Classic!

Wonderful narration of a classic, gripping story. I loved the emotion and pace the narrator used through the entire book, I couldn't put it down once I started. I read the book about 10 years ago and the story was as captivating as I remember - you won't be disappointed with this one!

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A classic work of literature

This book so clearly mirrors the struggles of modern politics. It is shocking to see how nearly prophetic 1984 has proven to be. Hopefully we can learn from its pages and carve out a better future

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terrifying glimpse at our near future

though we aren't quite to the point of telescreens, Google home and Amazon Alexa are listening, and our digital world is talking to us. quite frightening how close our world is to this situation.

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