Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dsjbd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-29T14:29:50.270Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

16 - Why Orwell still matters

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 July 2007

By
Christopher Hitchens
Edited by
John Rodden
John Rodden
Affiliation:
University of Texas, Austin
Get access

Summary

As I was beginning to write this Afterword, I received two invitations, both of them from London, in the space of two days. The first came from the BBC's 'Open Book' radio programme, which forwards readers' queries and difficulties to supposed 'experts', and invites them to act as 'radio doctors' giving advice to patients. Here was what my own patient complained of, in email form:

I have always wanted to read Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell. I have tried and tried but get lost very quickly and haven't managed to have gotten past chapter 3. I have difficulty picturing the scenes described in the book. I have never had so much difficulty with a book, and it would be a big achievement if I could read, understand and love the book. I believe it is a brilliant piece of literature and feel I am missing out. I have tried to track down the film which I thought might help.

My second invitation was from the Frontline Club, a group of war and foreign correspondents who meet to discuss new books and films in their general area of interest. A new documentary had been made, about 'Orwellian' manipulation of the media in the United States, and the invitation closed with the ominous proposition that '1984' might not be 'just a date in the future'.

Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Companion to George Orwell , pp. 201 - 207
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2007

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×