1984

Nineteen Eighty-Four is a novel by George Orwell in what is now called the dystopian genre.

It was originally to be titled "The Last Man in Europe," but the title was changed at the publisher's suggestion. It is often suggested that "eighty-four" is a reversal of "forty-eight," the year in which the book was written, but this has never been confirmed.

Orwell was influenced by Jack London's novel The Iron Heel, and Yevgeny Zamyatin's We.

1984 describes an alternate history in which Oceania is at war with Eurasia. The book describes a dystopia where everyone is watched where the government controls nearly all aspects of individuals' lives.

The protagonist, Winston Smith, works in the Ministry of Truth, altering records to fit the Party's current view of history. However, Smith grows to gradually disagree with the Party and what it stands for. Eventually, he and his lover Julia are captured by the thought police and tortured to the point where they once again love the party.