It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. The year is 1984, and life in Oceania is ruled by the Party. Under the gaze of Big Brother, Winston Smith yearns for intimacy and love ? ?thought crimes? that, if uncovered, would mean imprisonment, or death. But Winston is not alone in his defiance, and an illicit affair will draw him into the mysterious Brotherhood and the realities of resistance. Nineteen Eighty-Four has been described as chilling, absorbing, satirical, momentous, prophetic and terrifying. It is all these things, and more. The Authoritative Text. With an introduction by Robert Harris. *This stunning edition of Nineteen Eighty-Four features period artwork by Elizabeth Friedlander, one of Europe's pre-eminent 20th-century graphic designers.