You do not exist
Think tank: Institute of Economic Affairs
Author(s): Christopher Snowdon
June 8, 2024
This report from UK think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs offers a fresh perspective on the George Orwell classic dystopia ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’.
To celebrate the 75th anniversary of the UK publication of George Orwell’s classic dystopia Nineteen Eighty-Four (8 June 2024), the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) is republishing the novel with a new introduction by Christopher Snowdon.
Snowdon’s essay, You Do Not Exist: An Introduction to Nineteen Eighty-Four, is a tour-de-force that offers a fresh perspective on the masterpiece, delving into the Orwell archives to show that the seeds of the novel were sown many years before it was written.
Orwell is revered across countries and political divides, and his legacy permeates the English language, literature, and the concept of totalitarianism. But Snowdon does not just add to the chorus of praise and clichéd references.
What sets his introduction apart is the contention that Orwell’s misconceptions about economics made him too gloomy about the post-war world. Orwell believed in the inevitable demise of liberal capitalism, making him too pessimistic about the rise of totalitarianism.
