The novel 1984 by George Orwell (1903-1950) presents a picture of a totalitarian society in which the individual is only a temporary item on a list that can be changed, rewritten or completely erased at any time. The individual does not matter, what matters is POWER. Power personified by an imaginary Big Brother.
The book is often characterized as a work revealing the principle of functioning of totalitarian regimes, which until recently meant mainly fascist and communist regimes. Rather, Aldous Huxley's novel The End of Civilisation has been cited as a cautionary account of the possible development of 'Western' societies. Unfortunately, as recent developments suggest, Orwell's and Huxley's visions are strangely intertwined.
Even today, no one can be sure by whom, why or how he or she will be eavesdropped on, analysed, abused, manipulated, re-educated or - for the time being only socially - 'vaporised'. It is no coincidence that Orwell's book, written in 1948, was listed by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential books published since 1923.
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