Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) | George Orwell

According to BBC and Newsweek Magazine, a dystopia 1984 by George Orwell (whose real name is Eric Arthur Blair) was included in the list of the 100 most influential books worldwide. In 2009, The Times proclaimed this literary work as the most important book of the preceding 60 years. At the same time, in the former USSR, the novel was prohibited until 1988. Back in 1948, Orwell predicted the role of historical knowledge in the development of society (“Who controls the past controls the future, who controls the present controls the past”) and the influence of watchful telescreens that are both the main propaganda mouthpiece and the means of surveillance. So what can the protagonist Winston Smith oppose this totalitarian machine? Just his own memories about the past and love for a woman. However, they are also powerless against the torturers from the Ministry of Love.