[Book Sip] "The Freedom to Say 2 Plus 2 Equals 4"

Some sentences encapsulate the entire content of the book itself, while others instantly reach the reader's heart, creating a point of connection with the book. We introduce such meaningful sentences excerpted from the book. - Editor's note

The final masterpiece "1984" by George Orwell, the greatest journalist of his time and a "political writer" who left an indelible mark on 20th-century English literature, has been published with a new translation by professional translator Kim Seung-wook. Newly included is a previously unpublished domestic letter from Orwell to Noel Willmett written in 1944, regarded as "the letter explaining why George Orwell wrote '1984'." Also included is the full commentary on "1984" written in 1961 by Erich Fromm, a world-renowned scholar of psychoanalysis and social psychology, reflecting on the author's intent and the enduring contemporary significance of this work.

They will not rebel before they become conscious. And they will not become conscious before they rebel. (p.113)

Freedom means the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows. (p.127)

In a sense, those who most perfectly accepted the worldview imposed by the Party were those who did not understand it. The Party could inject claims so utterly at odds with reality that they could not be expressed in words, because these people never properly understood how enormous these claims were and were not interested enough in current affairs to notice what was happening around them. Thanks to this lack of understanding, they were able to keep their sanity. (pp.238-239)

1984 (Editors Collection) | Written by George Orwell | Translated by Kim Seung-wook | Munye Publishing | 488 pages | 11,500 KRW