Written in 1948 (try reversing the last two numbers of the title) as an indictment of the then-present or a warning for the future, Orwell created a stark totalitarianism world in which one seemingly unimportant man rebels.

Its central character is Winston Smith, a lonely man hired by the state to distribute propaganda and rewrite the past, who fears the constant surveillance of the super-state and longs to escape. This is the novel that the term 'Big Brother' comes from, but don't let that put you off. Thankfully more people continue to watch this instead of the ill-fated show.

Buy '1984' from Amazon