Commentary
George Orwell’s “Nineteen Eighty-Four” is widely regarded as one of the greatest novels of the 20th century.
British literary critic V. S. Pritchett could have been speaking for many in his review for the New Statesman:
“I do not think I have ever read a novel more frightening and depressing;” wrote Pritchett after “Nineteen Eighty-Four”’s publication; “and yet, such are the originality, the suspense, the speed of writing and withering indignation that it is impossible to put the book down.”
More than 70 years after its 1948 publication, Orwell’s masterpiece routinely tops Amazon’s list of overall best-selling books. (In January 2017, Penguin Random House ordered 75,000 new copies of “Nineteen Eighty-Four” following a 9,500 percent spike in sales, according to The New York Times.)
…