George Orwell's novel has become iconic in the modern world. In this remarkable book, Dorian Lynskey investigates the influences that came together in the writing of 1984 from Orwell's experiences in the Spanish Civil War and war-time London to his book's roots in utopian and dystopian fiction. He explores the phenomenon that the novel became and the ways in which it has been read over the decades. Longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction 2019.