Description
Published in 1949, George Orwell’s famous dystopian novel, 1984, is one of the most important books of the 20th century, still widely referenced today across politics and culture.
Orwell modelled his authoritarian state in the novel on the Soviet Union in the era of Stalinism and on Nazi Germany. Dealing with themes of totalitarianism, mass surveillance and more broadly with the role of truth within society, this book is arguably the most influential piece of political and dystopian fiction in the modern era.
Inspiring the likes of Margaret Atwood and Haruki Murakami, 1984’s vast impact still endures today and, with increasing surveillance, state-sponsored propaganda and threats to free speech in the real world today, it feels more relevant than ever.
Join us for a discussion about this book’s huge legacy and what George Orwell would think about the state of today’s world.
About the Speaker
Dorian Lynskey
Dorian Lynskey has been writing about music, politics, film and books for over 20 years for publications including The Guardian, The Observer, i, BBC Culture, GQ, Q, MOJO, Empire, Billboard, Air Mail, Pitchfork, The New Statesman, The Spectator, The Literary Review, The Los Angeles Times, UnHerd, The Big Issue, The Village Voice, Mixmag, Select, Blender and Spin. He is the author of 33 Revolutions Per Minute: A History of Protest Songs (2011) and The Ministry of Truth: A Biography of George Orwell’s 1984 (2019), which was longlisted for both the Orwell Prize and the Baillie Gifford Prize. His next book, Everything Must Go: The Stories We Tell About the End of the World, is out on 11 April 2024 (UK) and January 2025 (US). He co-hosts the podcasts Origin Story (with Ian Dunt) and Oh God, What Now? He is on the editorial board of George Orwell Studies and a judge for the 2024 Orwell Prizes.
About the Chair
Adela Suliman
Adela is a big fan of the Bradford Literature Festival and has been attending for many years! She is an international breaking-news reporter for The Washington Post based in London. Previously, she has worked for NBC News, Al Jazeera English, Thomson Reuters and The Associated Press. She is a graduate of the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, with a degree in Law, and Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism. Before pivoting to journalism, she spent four years as an international corporate lawyer in London, Dubai and Libya. Adela is interested in China and Africa and has traveled to more than 70 countries, including reporting trips to Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Jordan, the United States and much of Europe. Adela grew up in Manchester, Kent and London but also spent long stints in Khartoum, the Sudanese capital, where her father was born.
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