Archives of Oceania

1948: A Critical and Creative Prequel to George Orwell’s 1984 reviewed

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At the centre of this dense, extraordinary book lies a powerful novella ‘From the Archives of Oceania’.   

Drawing its inspiration from both Nineteen Eighty-Four and Orwell’s diaries, its kaleidoscopic style is distinctly modernist. The text flows in a way that is strongly reminiscent of James Joyce while weaving in many references to, and parodies of, Orwell’s work.  

Brian May’s main protagonist, Cedric, is quickly recognisable as a nightmarish hybrid of Winston Smith and Orwell himself. Situating most of the action in a dystopic Jura, May has drawn inspiration from both Orwell’s time there and Nineteen Eighty-Four which was, of course, written on the remote island.  The diaries of the women in Cedric’s family play a significant role in the narrative, vocalising various tensions in a horribly claustrophobic environment, under the constant threat of recapture by The Brotherhood.  

As well as mashing together Orwell’s life and fiction, the novella elegantly draws in some distressing contemporary issues. Evocative images of othered people on boats in perilous conditions, and the chilling consequences of leaving antisemitism unchallenged, are haunting.

‘From the Archives of Oceania’ is preceded by a flowery introduction which includes a list of references from Orwell’s diaries and some suggestions about how the reader might approach the book overall.  

There is also a detailed teaching supplement towards the end, which includes numerous questions to help students explore the connections between ‘From the Archives…’ and Nineteen Eighty-Four.  Here, May also writes extensively about critical theorists whose ideas students may wish to draw on in their analysis. This section is a tough read for anyone not familiar with the philosophers whose ideas are quoted, but there are plenty of references in the book (twenty pages) to help you find your way. 

While 1948 – in its entirety – is primarily intended to be an academic text, its fictional component ‘From the Archives of Oceania’ would fly on its own. It slowly builds to a believable yet horrifying conclusion which would stand up well in comparison to the iconic end of Nineteen Eighty-Four.  

 I wonder whether we might one day see it published as a stand-alone novella, perhaps with a handful of footnotes to make it more accessible to those who are not already so familiar with Orwell? 

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1948: A Critical and Creative Prequel to George Orwell’s 1984, Brian May (University of Exeter Press, 2024)

(Free to download at https://www.exeterpress.co.uk/products/1948 or £70 for the hardback)

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Our reviewer, OS member Nicola Rossi, is author of the dystopian Rockstar Ending series, and a speaker on technology.