The cultural influence of 1984 can be observed in some of the most notable creations of the past 70 years, from Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaids Tale to Terry Gilliam’s Brazil, from Alan Moore and David Lloyd’s V for Vendetta to David Bowie’s Diamond Dogs - and from the launch of Apple Mac to the reality TV landmark, Big Brother. George Orwell’s last novel has become one of the iconic narratives of the modern world. Its ideas have become part of language - from ‘Big Brother’ to the ‘Thought Police’, ‘Doublethink’ and ‘Newspeak’ - and seem ever more relevant in the era of ‘fake news’ and ‘alternative facts’.

In this remarkable and original book, Dorian Lynskey investigates the influences that came together in the writing of 1984. 2019 marks the 70th anniversary of the publication of what is arguably Orwell’s masterpiece, while the year 1984 itself is now as distant from us as it was from Orwell on publication day. The Ministry of Truth is a fascinating examination of one of the most significant works of modern English literature. It describes how history can inform fiction and how fiction can influence history.