Video: Getting to Know George Orwell

In January of this year, George Orwell's 1984 leapt to the top of the Amazon bestsellers list, prompting the publisher to issue an emergency printing of the book. How did Orwell write something that could appear just as prescient and vital in 2017 as it did when it was first published 68 years ago? To answer this question, it's important to take a look at the author himself. Orwell once said, "What I wanted to do throughout the past ten years is to make political writing into art." This is a feat he certainly achieved, having sold more than 50 million copies of 1984 and Animal Farm. Now his work is finding new resonance in a chilling Broadway production of 1984, starring Olivia Wilde.

1984 is about the values that people hold dear, and what it takes to rise up against authority. To truly understand the story, it's important to understand the values of the author himself. Check out the video below to understand how a young boy from Oxfordshire grew up to be the world's most important political writer. Tickets for 1984 on Broadway are available by visiting the show page below.