George Orwell’s 1984 is really 1948, the year in which he wrote it. It can’t be about the future. It’s about where the person who wrote it thought their present was, because you can’t envision a future without having some sort of conviction, whether you express it or not in the text, about where your present is.
From a great interview with Bill Gibson, who’s latest science fiction novel Spook Country apparently takes place in the past.
If you have trouble getting to the article (I did) try the google cache. Apparently the origin server is mildly dead.
Via boing boing, via futurismic.
Thanks for the link—that was an interesting read. I’ve had Spook Country (and Warren Ellis’ Crooked Little Vein) on pre-order from Amazon for so long now, and as the PR machines for both are kicking in now the wait gets harder and harder.. ;)