Download the novel 1984

"1984" is a dystopian novel written by George Orwell and published in 1949. The novel's plot unfolds in Airstrip One (formerly Great Britain), a province of the Great State called Oceania, in a world marked by war, government surveillance, and mass manipulation. This province is under the dominion of a political system falsely self-described as English Socialism (according to the "Newspeak" invented by the government), and is controlled by an elite of the Inner Party that persecutes individuality and free thinking as thought crimes. Big Brother personifies the tyranny of the system, a leader to whom no injustice can happen, and it is possible that he may not even exist. The Party seeks power not for the good of others, but for itself. The protagonist of the novel, Winston Smith, is a member of the Outer Party and an employee of the Ministry of Truth, responsible for propaganda and revising history. His task is to rewrite old articles and change historical facts to always match what the Party proclaims. Employees of the Ministry of Truth receive instructions for making corrections, described as modifications rather than falsifications or lies. A large part of the Ministry is also dedicated to destroying original documents that do not contain those modifications. In this way, evidence of the government's lies disappears into thin air. Winston strives to perform his work and do it as well as possible, although he secretly loathes the Party and dreams of a revolt against Big Brother. "1984" is a classic political and dystopian science fiction novel (a warning of doomsday), and since its publication in 1949, many of its terms and concepts have entered the English language, such as Big Brother, Doublethink, Thoughtcrime, Room 101, Telescreen, 2 + 2 = 5, Memory Hole. "1984" coined the term "Orwellian", which is used to describe government deception, secret surveillance, and manipulation of authoritarian state power in history. In 2005, the book was selected by Time magazine as one of the top 100 English-language novels from 1923 to 2005, and it was included in the list of the top 100 English-language novels of the 20th century (at number 6 on the reader's list and number 13 on the editor's list). In 2003, it reached the eighth position in a survey conducted by the BBC.