Orwell vs Kafka

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Ian Hislop and Helen Lewis celebrate the ideas and impact of Franz Kafka and George Orwell

Ian Hislop and Helen Lewis explore the extent to which the works of George Orwell and Franz Kafka continue to express the reality and frustration of life in the 21st century.

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Orwell vs Kafka: Ep 5: But I’m Not Guilty!

Ep 5: But I’m Not Guilty!

BBC Radio 4 - Orwell vs Kafka, Ep 5: But I’m Not Guilty!

How our writers foresaw the powerlessness many of us feel today.

With his nightmare visions of miscarriages of justice and petty authorities in his novel 'The Trial' Franz Kafka foresaw the powerlessness and frustration many of us feel in the face of faceless corporations and bureaucracies today. George Orwell's '1984' depicts a society where citizens are conditioned, monitored and made to live in eternal fear without protest. 

In this episode of Orwell vs Kafka, Helen Lewis and Ian Hislop look at powerlessness - and why both our writers were obsessed with it. 

Guests:
DJ Taylor, George Orwell biographer
Dr Karolina Watroba of All Souls College, Oxford
Professor Robert Douglas-Fairhurst of Magdalen College, Oxford

With thanks to Charles Games, makers of the “Playing Kafka” video game. 

Producer: Sarah Shebbeare

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Orwell vs Kafka

Ep 5: But I’m Not Guilty!

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