MAGAZINE BAGGE NEW YORK (Reuters) – New York Magazine’s new cover of George Orwell’s 1984 was designed to be a provocative and often tongue-in-cheek look at the world around him.
The cover, printed in a glossy, high-quality black and white format, is designed to stand out and show how different the world has become in the 21st century.
“The 1984 era was the height of the Cold War and the American government was actively seeking to control the press,” said George Orwell, who died on Tuesday.
“I was the only person on the planet who could write a book about the Soviet Union that was not a political manifesto.”
He was born on March 4, 1918 in Liverpool, England.
“To my knowledge, there was never a book written on the subject of communism or the Cold Wars, and I don’t think I’m the first to say so,” Orwell said.
He was raised in Liverpool but moved to England in 1920 when he was a teenager to study journalism.
“When I came back to the States I was a writer for the Daily Express, which was the best newspaper in Britain,” he said.
Orwell’s early work included a history of Britain, “The Age of the Great British Novel” and “The Road to Wigan Pier”.
His early career included working as a journalist and editor for the Independent.
“In my early days, I was an editor for a local newspaper in a local town,” he told the magazine.
Orwell had a career in the entertainment industry that spanned decades.
“My first job was as a reporter for the Evening Standard in New York,” he recalled.
“And I have a very strong opinion about the way in which the world is being controlled today.”
Orwell also published numerous novels including 1984 and Animal Farm.
In 1991, he died at the age of 80, with his estate receiving £30 million from the state to help pay for his funeral.
George Orwell (R) and his wife Anna in front of his house in London in this picture taken May 17, 1972.
REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/Files