The Latest Breaking News from George Orwell

Authors, critics and Guardian readers discuss the titles they have read over the last month. Join the conversation in the comments

Artists, writers and film-makers have long been inspired by the stories – and myths – of the 1984-5 strike. But how do those most affected by its legacy feel about the portrayals?

The US writer’s fictionalised portrait of the young Eric Blair’s time with the imperial police in Burma is a keenly felt and vividly researched account of colonial bigotry and power

An American chemist’s recipe advising salt and hot milk does not sound like a nice cuppa to me

In many ways, the long 21st century began when Apple launched the Macintosh with its ‘1984’ Super Bowl ad

At the British artist’s new Melbourne work, you can exchange a ratty old ball for a pristine new one. Just don’t leave an apple instead

The idea of free speech sparked into life 2,500 years ago in Ancient Greece – in part because it served a politician’s interests. The ability to speak freely was seen as essential for the new Athenian democracy, which the politician Cleisthenes both introduced and benefited from.

The British high street has for years been dominated by a chain of cheap-and-cheerful pubs boasting straightforward food, inexpensive pints and mad carpets. Oh, and political propaganda. As Spoons founder Tim Martin is granted a knighthood, Katie Rosseinsky dives into a polarising brand that we can never seem to agree…

The wise hobo is a common trope in literature. In George Orwell’s classic Down and Out in Paris and London, the writer meets a street-dwelling artist named Bozo on the Embankment. As they cross the Thames, Bozo teaches him about the different constellations in the night sky, and shares what…