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'1984' sales soar following Trump inauguration

Sales of the dystopian sci-fi classic 1984 have soared during the first days of Donald ...
Newstalk
Newstalk

10.22 25 Jan 2017


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'1984' sales s...

'1984' sales soar following Trump inauguration

Newstalk
Newstalk

10.22 25 Jan 2017


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Sales of the dystopian sci-fi classic 1984 have soared during the first days of Donald Trump's presidency.

George Orwell's famous novel, originally published in 1949, tells the story of a man living in a totalitarian society overseen by a mysterious figure known as 'Big Brother'.

One of the key ideas explored in the novel is the dissemination of propaganda and the government's manipulation of facts in order to limit freedom of thought & expression.

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Terms coined by Orwell - such as 'doublethink' and 'newspeak' - have since entered the popular lexicon, while the author famously summed up some of his themes & critiques through the concept of '2+2=5'.

While the novel has remained an important cultural touchstone in the decades since publication, interest has spiked again during the first days of the Trump administration in the US.

Commentators drew comparisons to the novel when Press Secretary Sean Spicer delivered a series of easily disproved claims, while adviser Kellyanne Conway's already infamous use of the phrase 'alternative facts' in a TV interview was described as Orwellian. 

In the wake of these incidents, 1984 has surged to the top spot of the Amazon bestsellers charts in the US, and the top 20 in the UK. It has also climbed up the charts in other prominent online booksellers such as Barnes & Noble.

Other dystopian classics - such as Fahrenheit 451 and Brave New World - have also enjoyed a boost, currently sitting just below Trump: Art of the Deal on the Amazon US charts.


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