George Orwell Visions of Dystopia

by George Orwell, D.J. Taylor (Foreword), Richard Bradford (Introduction)

Orwell is most well-known for his two famous novels Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm , but their dystopian vision was informed by observations of poverty in England ( Down and Out in Paris' and London and Road to Wigan Pier ), and disillusion with political and national events of the 1930s and 1940s. Homage to Catalonia chronicled his experience of the Spanish Civil War and formulated his revulsion against totalitarianism, highlighted in his subsequent novels.

This new collection (edited and with a new introduction by Professor Richard Bradford, and a foreword by Whitbread Prize winner D.J. Taylor) brings together Orwell's two celebrated novels and some of his seminal nonfiction (extensive extracts from Down and Out in Paris and London and The Road to Wigan Pier , and the whole of Homage to Catalonia ), along with some brief extracts of pertinent work by Jack London, who also explored totalitarianism in The Iron Heel (fiction), and the Russian dissident Yevgeny Zamyatin whose own work We (1921) offers a strong warning about a dystopian police state.

A new addition to the Flame Tree deluxe Gothic & Fantasy series on classic and modern writers, exploring origins and cultural themes in myth, fable and speculative fiction. The Flame Tree Gothic & Fantasy, Classic Stories and Epic Tales collections bring together the entire range of myth, folklore and modern short fiction. Highlighting the roots of suspense, supernatural, science fiction and mystery stories, the books in Flame Tree Collections series are beautifully presented, perfect as a gift and offer a lifetime of reading pleasure.

432 pages, Hardcover

First published January 12, 2021

About the author

Eric Arthur Blair was an English novelist, poet, essayist, journalist and critic who wrote under the pen name of George Orwell. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to all totalitarianism (both fascism and stalinism), and support of democratic socialism.

Orwell is best known for his allegorical novella Animal Farm (1945) and the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949), although his works also encompass literary criticism, poetry, fiction and polemical journalism. His non-fiction works, including The Road to Wigan Pier (1937), documenting his experience of working-class life in the industrial north of England, and Homage to Catalonia (1938), an account of his experiences soldiering for the Republican faction of the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939), are as critically respected as his essays on politics, literature, language and culture.

Orwell's work remains influential in popular culture and in political culture, and the adjective "Orwellian"—describing totalitarian and authoritarian social practices—is part of the English language, like many of his neologisms, such as "Big Brother", "Thought Police", "Room 101", "Newspeak", "memory hole", "doublethink", and "thoughtcrime". In 2008, The Times named Orwell the second-greatest British writer since 1945.

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Animal Farm and 1984 are both five star masterpieces in my opinion. I’ve read each many times and they seem to get better and better.

I’m giving a generous three stars for this edition. It’s not good. Animal Farm and 1984 are complete here, and this hardcover book only cost me $13. Those are the only two positives.

Far too many typos. The trade dress is hideous. The excerpts from other Orwell nonfiction writings take up a huge portion of the book, and they even add some excerpts from non-Orwell writers. Why? This is part of a series (?) labelled Gothic Fantasy. If you’ve read either book,you know there’s nothing gothic here, but I suppose you can call Animal Farm a fantasy.

I just don’t get it. These editions are cheap but they still aren’t worth it. If you get one as a gift, say “thank you” and throw the book in the trash.

[Walter · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very disappointing. I was looking forward to this book for a long time. I know to expect abridged versions in these books. What I didn't expect was that it was only extracts from. What is someone supposed to do with that? To top it off, from the 7 books mentioned, 2 aren't even Orwell's.

[Josh Bandstra · Rating 5 out of 5]

George Orwell: Visions of Dystopia is an interesting collection. I mostly bought it for the unabridged editions of 1984 and Animal Farm collected in the volume, but the additional essays and excerpts from Orwell's other works were quite interesting as well. As I plan to read his other works in their entirety, I mostly skimmed the excerpts, but I did dive into the essays; Orwell's ability to understand and predict the thought processes, propaganda and formation of a socialist society was truly unmatched, and this volume is a cautionary tale on how to protect your freedoms before it's too late.

[Olof Haglund · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would recommend people to buy the books that are of interest individually.

[Niels · Rating 4 out of 5]

1984 and animal farm where two amazing books to read.

[James Dawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a bit of GO. He's the big ideas man. This is well worth a read.