When Was 1984 Written? Who Wrote It, and How Long Is It
1984 was written by George Orwell (the pen name of Eric Arthur Blair) between 1946 and 1948, mostly on the remote Scottish island of Jura. It was published in London on 8 June 1949 by Secker and Warburg, and in the United States a few days later.
The novel runs to about 89,000 words in three parts plus an appendix, usually around 300 to 330 pages, and takes most readers about eight to ten hours.
| Fact | Answer |
|---|---|
| Author | George Orwell (Eric Arthur Blair, 1903 to 1950) |
| Written | 1946 to 1948, mostly at Barnhill on the island of Jura |
| Published | 8 June 1949, London; June 1949, New York |
| Working title | The Last Man in Europe |
| Official title | Nineteen Eighty-Four |
| Length | About 89,000 words |
| Structure | Three parts, 24 chapters, plus an appendix |
| Pages | Usually about 300 to 330 |
| Reading time | About 8 to 10 hours |
| Genre | Dystopian novel, political fiction |
When and where was 1984 written?
Orwell began planning the novel during the Second World War and started writing it seriously in 1946. Seeking quiet, he moved to Barnhill, a remote farmhouse on Jura in the Inner Hebrides. He was already seriously ill with tuberculosis, and he typed the final manuscript himself in late 1948, exhausted. The book was published in June 1949, and Orwell died in a London hospital in January 1950, at 46.
↑ Back to the topWhy is it called 1984?
Orwell's working title was The Last Man in Europe. He and his publisher chose Nineteen Eighty-Four instead. The most common explanation is that he reversed the last two digits of 1948, the year he finished it, though Orwell never confirmed this. The year simply had to be near enough to feel like a warning about the future. The book's official title spells out the number in words, but it is almost always printed as 1984.
↑ Back to the topWho was George Orwell?
Orwell was born in India in 1903, was educated in England, served as a police officer in Burma and fought in the Spanish Civil War. He was a democratic socialist who opposed dictatorship on both the right and the left. His earlier fable Animal Farm, published in 1945, made him famous; 1984 was his last novel.
↑ Back to the topHow long is 1984?
The novel is about 89,000 words long. It is divided into three parts: Part One has eight chapters, Part Two ten and Part Three six. It ends with an appendix, The Principles of Newspeak, written like an academic essay. Page counts vary by edition, usually between about 300 and 330, and an average reader needs eight to ten hours.
↑ Back to the topWhat age is 1984 suitable for?
1984 is commonly taught in high school, usually around ages 15 to 18. The language is clear, but the book contains scenes of torture, sexual content and a very bleak ending, so it suits older teenagers and adults best.
↑ Back to the topMore about 1984
Written by Tori Books for readers and students.