Nineteen Eighty-Four

Since Soviet Russia banned and burned George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four in the 1950s because of its anti-communist viewpoints, the book has been the target of a significant international campaign. On the other extreme, the book was outlawed in Jackson County, Florida, in 1981 because it was pro-communist. The novel was, however, most recently challenged once more in Idaho in 2017 due to its excessive violence and sexually explicit language.

What is the subject of Nineteen Eighty-Four? Winston Smith is the main character of Orwell's dystopian novel 1984, which was first published in 1949. Winston Smith lives in a world where there are perpetual wars, constant government monitoring, propaganda, and historical revisionism. The main themes of Nineteen Eighty-Four include political distrust, various governmental systems, and revolt.

Most attempts to prohibit the book focus on its themes of government, with many interpreting them as being pro-communist even though the book is anti-communist and anti-government. Additionally, governments who don't like the concept of an uprising like the one led by Stalin in the 1950s have banned works with themes of rebellion against the system all over the world.

Author: George Orwell
Cover artist: Michael Kennar
Country: United Kingdom
Language: English
Genre: Dystopian, political fiction, social science fiction
Set in: London, Airstrip One, Oceania
Publisher: Secker & Warburg
Publication date: 8 June 1949