Dorian Lynskey

An authoritative, wide-ranging and incredibly timely history of 1984 -- its literary sources, its composition by Orwell, its deep and lasting effect on the Cold War, and its vast influence throughout world culture at every level, from high to pop. Nineteen Eighty Four isn't just a novel; it's a key to understanding the modern world. George Orwell's final work is a treasure chest of ideas and memes -- Big Brother, the Thought Police, Doublethink, Newspeak, 2+2=5 -- that gain potency with every year. Particularly in 2016, when the election of Donald Trump made it a bestseller ("Ministry of Alternative Facts," anyone?). Its influence has morphed endlessly into novels (The Handmaid's Tale), films (Brazil), television shows (V for Vendetta), rock albums (Diamond Dogs), commercials (Apple), even reality TV (Big Brother). How to Build a Dystopia is the first book that fully examines the epochal and cultural event that is 1984 in all its aspects: its roots in the utopian and dystopian literature that preceded it; the personal experiences in wartime Great Britain that Orwell drew upon as he struggled to finish his masterpiece in his dying days; and the political and cultural phenomenon that the novel ignited at once upon publication and which far from subsiding, has only grown over the decades. It explains how fiction history informs fiction and how fiction explains history.

The Biography of Nineteen Eighty-Four

How to Build a Dystopia

Dorian Lynskey is one of the most prominent music critics writing today. With 33 Revolutions Per Minute, he offers an engrossing, insightful, and wonderfully researched history of protest music in the twentieth century and beyond. From Billie Holiday and Woodie Guthrie to Bob Dylan and the Clash to Green Day and Rage Against the Machine, 33 Revolutions Per Minute is a moving and fascinating portrait of a century of popular music that tried to change the world.

A History of Protest Songs, from Billie Holiday to Green Day

33 Revolutions per Minute

Ian Dunt

What makes people believe in conspiracy theories? Why have they taken over our political sphere? And how do we counter them before it’s too late?

The world has always had conspiracy theories. From the Illuminati to the deep state, the JFK assassination to the death of Princess Diana – there have always been those who believe that events are manipulated by shadowy forces with sinister intent. But in recent years, conspiracism has colonised the mainstream. These days, it is a booming industry, a political strategy and a pseudo-religion – and it’s threatening the foundations of liberal democracy.

Where once political battles were fought over ideas and values, it now feels as though we’re arguing over the nature of reality itself. The problem is bigger than lizard people or UFOs: left unchecked, conspiracy theories have the power to warp the fabric of society and justify unspeakable crimes.

In Conspiracy Theory: The Story of an Idea, Ian Dunt and Dorian Lynskey pull back the curtain on conspiracy theories: where they come from, who promotes them, how they work and what they’re doing to us. From biblical myth to online hysteria, this book explains what happens when the human gift for storytelling goes wrong – and how we might restore our common reality.

The Story of an Idea

Conspiracy Theory

Ministarstvo istine

Longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction 2019 Longlisted for the Orwell Prize for Political Writing 2020 'Fascinating . . . If you have even the slightest interest in Orwell or in the development of our culture, you should not miss this engrossing, enlightening book.' John Carey, Sunday Times George Orwell's 1984 has become a defining narrative of the modern world. Its cultural influence can be observed in some of the most notable creations of the past seventy years, from Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale to the reality TV landmark Big Brother, while ideas such as 'thought police', 'doublethink', and 'Newspeak' are ingrained in our language. The Ministry of Truth charts the life of one of the most influential books of the twentieth century and a work that is ever more relevant in this tumultuous era of 'fake news' and 'alternative facts'. Dorian Lynskey investigates the influences that came together in the writing of 1984 from Orwell's experiences in the Spanish Civil War and in wartime London to his fascination with utopian and dystopian fiction. Lynskey explores the phenomenon the novel became when it was first published in 1949 and the changing ways in which it has been read over the decades since, revealing how history can inform fiction and how fiction can influence history. 'Everything you wanted to know about 1984 but were too busy misusing the word "Orwellian" to ask.' Caitlin Moran

A Biography of George Orwell's 1984

The Ministry of Truth

1984 isn't just a novel; it's a key to understanding the modern world. George Orwell's final work is a treasure chest of ideas and memes--Big Brother, the Thought Police, Doublethink, Newspeak, two plus two equals five--that gain potency with every year. Its vast influence resonates throughout world culture at every level, from high to pop. The Ministry of Truth is the first book to fully examine the origin and legacy of 1984: its roots in the utopian and dystopian literature that preceded it; the personal experiences in the Spanish Civil War and wartime London that Orwell drew on as he struggled to finish his masterpiece in his final years; and the political and cultural shockwaves that the novel triggered at once upon publication and which, far from subsiding, have only grown over the decades. It explores how history informs fiction and fiction explains history.

The Biography of George Orwell's 1984

In The Ministry of Truth, Dorian Lynskey charts the life of George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four: one of the most influential books of the 20th Century, a perennial bestseller, and a work that remains more relevant than ever in today's tumultuous world.

Nenhum romance do século XX teve maior influência do que 1984. Essa é a tese do autor de O Ministério da Verdade, primeiro livro a examinar completamente a origem e o legado da obra-prima de George Orwell. Quando 1984 foi publicado no Reino Unido, em 8 de junho de 1949, um crítico perguntou se um romance tão oportuno naquele momento teria a possibilidade de exercer a mesma influência nas gerações seguintes. Hoje, é praticamente impossível falar sobre propaganda, vigilância, autoritarismo ou fake news sem fazer referência à obra-prima de George Orwell. Em O Ministério da Verdade, o crítico britânico Dorian Lynskey remonta a gênese de 1984 e investiga o alcance do romance na nossa cultura. Além de expressões que se tornaram corriqueiras como "Big Brother", "Polícia das Ideias", "duplipensar", "pensamento-crime" e "Novafala", Lynskey nos mostra como o romance inspirou filmes, séries de TV, peças de teatro, óperas, o álbum Diamond Dogs, de David Bowie, os livros O conto da aia, de Margaret Atwood, e V de Vingança, de Alan Moore e David Lloyd, o filme Brazil, de Terry Gilliam, entre outras obras. De modo acessível e informativo, o autor afirma a grandeza duradoura do romance de Orwell. Um guia fundamental para o livro mais emblemático do mundo contemporâneo. "Se você tem o mínimo interesse em Orwell ou em saber como nossa cultura vem se transformando, deve ler este livro brilhante e esclarecedor." — Sunday Times

Uma biografia de 1984, o romance de George Orwell

O Ministério da Verdade

"Rich and compelling. . .Lynskey’s account of the reach of 1984 is revelatory.” --George Packer, The Atlantic An authoritative, wide-ranging, and incredibly timely history of 1984--its literary sources, its composition by Orwell, its deep and lasting effect on the Cold War, and its vast influence throughout world culture at every level, from high to pop. 1984 isn't just a novel; it's a key to understanding the modern world. George Orwell's final work is a treasure chest of ideas and memes--Big Brother, the Thought Police, Doublethink, Newspeak, 2+2=5--that gain potency with every year. Particularly in 2016, when the election of Donald Trump made it a bestseller ("Ministry of Alternative Facts," anyone?). Its influence has morphed endlessly into novels (The Handmaid's Tale), films (Brazil), television shows (V for Vendetta), rock albums (Diamond Dogs), commercials (Apple), even reality TV (Big Brother). The Ministry of Truth is the first book that fully examines the epochal and cultural event that is 1984 in all its aspects: its roots in the utopian and dystopian literature that preceded it; the personal experiences in wartime Great Britain that Orwell drew on as he struggled to finish his masterpiece in his dying days; and the political and cultural phenomena that the novel ignited at once upon publication and that far from subsiding, have only grown over the decades. It explains how fiction history informs fiction and how fiction explains history.

Dorian Lynskey

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