1984

'Nineteen Eighty-Four' is a classic dystopian novel by George Orwell, first published in 1949. Widely acclaimed, it appears on many 'best books' lists and is considered a cornerstone of dystopian fiction alongside Brave New World and We. Set in the totalitarian state of Oceania in the year 1984, the story follows Winston Smith, who works at the Ministry of Truth, altering historical records to serve Party propaganda. The regime, led by the omnipresent 'Big Brother', controls citizens through surveillance, 'Newspeak' to restrict thought, and the Thought Police to punish dissent. The novel warns against totalitarianism and the loss of individual freedom, with terms like 'doublethink' and 'thoughtcrime' becoming widely used to describe authoritarian control.