Nineteen Eighty-Five

1985 is a novel written by English writer Anthony Burgess and published in 1978. It is inspired by George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four.

Related Topics:
Novel - Writer - Anthony Burgess - 1978 - Nineteen Eighty-Four

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The book is divided into two parts. The first half of the book is a series of essays and interviews (although Burgess is the voice of both interviewer and subject) discussing various aspects of Orwell's book.

Related Topics:
Essay - Interview

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The second part is a novella that takes place in 1985, seven years distant at the time of writing. Rather than being a sequel to Orwell's book, Burgess uses the same concept. Based on his observation of British society and the world around him in 1978, he suggests how a possible 1985 might be if certain trends continue.

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The main trend is the expanding power of labor unions. In the imagined 1985 of the book, labor unions have become so powerful that they exert full control over society. There is a union for almost every occupation. Unions start strikes for little reason and a strike by one union usually turns into a general strike.

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At the beginning of the book the main character, Bev Jones, is confronted with the death of his wife. She was in hospital when a fire broke out, and as the firemen's union was striking, the hospital simply burned to the ground. The death of his wife engenders in Bev a deep-seated hostility towards the union system. A confectioner by trade, he goes to work one day despite his union being on strike. For working during a strike, his union membership is revoked, making him effectively unemployable. Bev then becomes something of a vagrant, traveling around the UK and falling in with a group of revolutionaries.

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Another theme of the novella is the Islamification of Britain due to large-scale immigration from the Middle East. London abounds with mosques and rich Arabs can be seen throughout the city.

Related Topics:
Middle East - London - Mosque

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