George Orwell’s 1984 gave us a whole vocabulary to describe the techniques of modern tyranny: from Newspeak, to Doublethink, the Thought Police, and Big Brother, in many ways the language he created is Orwell’s biggest legacy.

In today’s world of half-truths and ‘alternative facts’, Orwell's 1984 has never felt more relevant. The novel remains the book we turn to when facts are questioned, the truth is distorted and power is abused. Franz Kafka’s work plays a similar role: in February 2024, Russian human rights defender Oleg Orlov sat reading ‘The Trial’ in a Moscow courtroom during his own trial.

Helen Lewis and Ian Hislop find out how and why our duo’s writing is still so potent today.

Guests:
Masha Karp, author of “George Orwell and Russia”
Dorian Lynskey, author of “The Ministry of Truth: A Biography of George Orwell's 1984”
Professor Carolin Duttlinger of Wadham College, Oxford
Steve Rosenberg, BBC Russia Editor.

Producer: Sarah Shebbeare Show less