1984 isn’t just a novel; it’s a key to understanding the modern world. George Orwell’s final work is a treasure chest of ideas and memes-Big Brother, the Thought Police, Doublethink, Newspeak, two plus two equals five-that gain potency with every year. Its vast influence resonates throughout world culture at every level, from high to pop.

The Ministry of Truth is the first book to fully examine the origin and legacy of 1984: its roots in the utopian and dystopian literature that preceded it; the personal experiences in the Spanish Civil War and wartime London that Orwell drew on as he struggled to finish his masterpiece in his final years; and the political and cultural shockwaves that the novel triggered at once upon publication and which, far from subsiding, have only grown over the decades. It explores how history informs fiction and fiction explains history.