{"product_id":"1948-brian-may-9781804132289","title":"1948: A Critical and Creative Prequel to Orwell's 1984","description":"Described as the most widely read and influential serious writer of the twentieth century, George Orwell remains relevant in our own era of contested media. He continues to attract a large readership. This book is about Orwell's post-war cultural moment c. 1948. Taking his \u003ci\u003eDiaries\u003c\/i\u003e of the time as inspiration, together with his famous final novel, \u003ci\u003e1984\u003c\/i\u003e (published 1949), and treating them as contiguous texts, Brian May considers the gaps, equivocations, and contradictions in Orwell's message and asks what Orwell would have written next. But \u003ci\u003e1948\u003c\/i\u003e is more than a work of literary criticism: rather, it balances critical discussion with creative intervention, being one-half literary-critical commentary, and one-half fictional departure - a novella titled \"From the Archives of Oceania,\" which quotes, parodies and pastiches Orwell's \u003ci\u003eDiaries\u003c\/i\u003e, offering a possible prequel. Together these elements offer a resource for the reader to interrogate anew such difficult issues as Orwell's sexism and anti-Semitism; to explore the tensions between various intertwining strands of thought that cast Orwell as both realist and idealist, Puritan and individualist; and to better understand Orwell's curious affection for the natural world. \u003ci\u003e1948\u003c\/i\u003e will appeal to all readers and critics of Orwell, but also to students of dystopian fiction, \"revisionary\" fiction and\"reception study,\" which highlights the audience's contribution to an artwork's meaning..\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Brian May\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1804132284\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781804132289\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Exeter Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 11\/11\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 196\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.51lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.45d","brand":"Brian May","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":47580052783359,"sku":"9781804132289","price":26.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_35b0b30b-43fa-4060-95ac-e7f6c43995ba.jpg?v=1763878471","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/1948-brian-may-9781804132289","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}