Sci Fi Audiobooks: Ongoing column reviewing classics of sci fi and fantasy as well as current works available in audio format.
What Is It?
This classic dystopian novel centers on Winston Smith, a small cog in the Ministry of Truth whose job it is to regularly “correct” historical facts that are not in line with the Party’s policies. Smith lives a simple, squalid existence as one of the many citizens of the Outer Party (middle class) in Oceania, whose function it is to do as the Party dictates and nothing more. However, Smith is not completely happy with his lot and keeps a journal of his thoughts (considered a “thoughtcrime” by the state) while also taking an interest in learning more about “real” history. Then one day, one of the female workers at the Ministry of Truth slips him a note saying that she loves him, and this sets off an affair between the two, which constitutes yet another crime against the state. The Thought Police discover their wayward actions, though, and both are captured and subjected to psychological conditioning and a “reintegration” process.
Bottom Line:
This book delivers the quintessential dystopian novel, one that has heavily influenced all of the similar literary works that have followed. But it also delivers an engaging drama of the individual against the oppressive state and stands as a must-read work of cautionary fiction.
Historical Context
Published in 1949, Nineteen Eighty-Four is widely regarded as one of the greatest dystopian novels ever written. George Orwell drew inspiration from the rise of totalitarian governments in the first half of the twentieth century, particularly Stalin’s Soviet Union, though his warnings extend well beyond any one political ideology. The novel introduced terms such as Big Brother, Thought Police, and Newspeak into the popular lexicon, and the word Orwellian has since become synonymous with oppressive government control and surveillance.
A Closer Look:
Most science fiction and fantasy fans, as well as literary aficionados, recognize Nineteen Eighty-Four as George Orwell’s iconic dystopian novel, which has worked its way into popular culture the world over and given us one of the most recognizable depictions of the totalitarian, dehumanizing state. Much of the language from the book has found its way into our common vernacular, such as Big Brother, Newspeak, and Thought Police, and the term Orwellian has come to identify an omnipresent, oppressive authoritarianism. But how many have actually read this book and come to realize that Orwell also gave us an excellent, engaging novel to accompany his political commentary?
The novel is rooted in Orwell’s criticism of socialism, particularly what he saw arise in the Soviet Union. For his more direct commentary on the rise of Soviet Communism, though, you can read his political allegory Animal Farm. Nineteen Eighty-Four is less an allegory and more an exploration of the totalitarian state and the dehumanizing effect it can have on its citizens. This is a very bleak novel with little in the way of hope or optimism and much in the way of cynicism about human nature. That can make it a difficult read at times, but it does deliver same engaging dramatic moments. It is definitely a challenging journey following Winston Smith through his suffering at the hands of his government. And the final moments of Smith’s conversion at the end of the novel provide some of the most chilling prose in all of literature. But that makes this book quite an eye-opener, particularly in our current political environment, and can lead the reader to some serious soul-searching.
Many of the predictions of this fictional state that Orwell wrote about in 1948 still ring true today, perhaps because he drew from what he had seen transpire in world politics up to that point (and not only in the Soviet Union). Just a few examples to consider include the use of the constant threat of an outside enemy to keep the populace in fear and under control, the manipulation of the media to distort facts and sway public opinion, perpetual surveillance, and the use of coercion to bully individuals into following the Party line. So much of that we still see in our world today, and what’s even scarier is that we see it happening in “free” countries, not just totalitarian states, with the people regularly voting into office the politicians who used these tactics. Nineteen Eighty-Four touches the psyche and the soul and drags us (kicking and screaming) into the world Orwell created. It still resonates today and will continue to do so as long as its horrific predictions keep playing themselves out in the world we live in.
Comments on the Audiobook:
I found an older audiobook version at my local library narrated by Richard Matthews. His very proper British voice fits the story quite well, and he does an excellent job of shifting between characters. I don’t see this version available through any of the normal audiobook sources, though, so it must have gone out of print. A newer version from Blackstone Audio, narrated by Theo Solomon, is much more widely available now, and from the samples I have heard, he does an equally good job of bringing the story to life. This newer version also adds some music and sound effects to enhance the narration, and you can find it at audibook sellers like Audible.com.
