Although it had been published many years before, I did not read George Orwell’s novel titled ‘1984’, until the year of its title. At that time, I had won my first prize for short stories of some importance and Carlos Barral, who was on the jury, had … He asked for more stories like that one for possible editing, although my youth, my lack of literary work and his subsequent unexpected death ruined the project. But it was a very fruitful time for me, as a reader and budding writer. Therefore, when Orwell’s book came into my hands, which seemed obligatory to read in that year of 1984, I did so with great interest and many expectations, which were not disappointed. That dystopian story, written before I was born, spoke of the society of the future, of the society of 1984, which provided a point of agreement or dissonance, depending on how you look at it, since it allowed us to observe the invented future that, at the same time , was the present tense, and analyze the coincidences. At that time it was a very interesting science fiction novel, as well as worrying, because it talked about Big Brother, who with his innumerable cameras controlled the lives of citizens, and the Ministry of Truth, which ensured that no one was caught. It departed from the norm and escaped the control of that dictatorial State, which was not seen as such but as a protective State that provided for the good of its citizens, as dictators or aspiring dictators always make themselves see.
I have always associated ‘1984’ with that other one, seen in the cinema, titled ‘Farenheit 451’, perhaps because it was about another dystopian society in which the government police burned all the books – 451 degrees Fahrenheit is the temperature at which the book burns. paper – and controlled that his citizens did not read. Yes, they seemed like science fiction novels that had nothing to do with reality, although they were a fierce criticism of the socialist dictatorships of that time, but they warned of something dark and possible. Of course, if Orwell’s title had been ‘2024’ instead of ‘1984’, perhaps it would no longer seem like so much science fiction to us, because we are beginning to see and suffer those things he warned about. Surveillance with cameras is a fact, they are already everywhere and, what is worse, we are absolutely controlled by our mobile phone. If, for example, one day you look at information about stoves, you will be bombarded for months with unsolicited ads about all kinds of stoves; If you stop for a couple of seconds to admire a photo of a girl in a bikini, you’re lost! You won’t know how to escape the photographic harassment of reels about lingerie, sex, etc. Yes, Big Brother watches and controls us; and the Ministry of Truth is also beginning to emerge. Give whatever name you want to the functions of the aforementioned ministry, but don’t trust it. They are there!
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