There are several different places to buy the book, penguin, other brands, etc, I am afraid some of them may have edited or altered it to a level where it would count as losing authenticity/deviating intention of the author
Can someone kindly tell me what I can buy which is closest to the original? I reside in India
For the most recently released and definitive edition you should probably write directly to Mr Winston Smith, The Ministry of Truth, [Minitrue], Malet Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7HU, Oceania. Response times vary. /s
I’m still waiting for my copy. That’s okay though, I’m aware Oceania is at war with Eastasia. Maybe Eurasia.
Someone mentioned they recently saw Winston Smith having a Vodka with a woman in the Chestnut Tree Cafe, so he may be on leave at the moment.
Haha. Good point. I heard the poor guy looked like a shell of his former self. Like he spent to much time with a rat in a cage strapped to his face. He’s a docile man now..
I not sure that’s true - I heard that a colleague of his, that Inner Party member O’Brien was joking about something like that in the canteen but that seems very far fetched. A rat? Not very scary. Buried alive? Now that’s terrifying... good to see him out and about, not chained to the desk anymore!
Always the optimist. You make an interesting case. I failed in my duty as an outer party member to consider the nefarious propaganda of Goldstein.
Yes, the poor kid has been putting in long hours and it’s nice to see him enjoying a cocktail with a companion.
*Airstrip 1
For authenticity, you have to read it in the original newspeak.
Doubleplusgood.
I’m curious why you think there’s been editing done by certain publishers. I’ve never heard of that happening, do you have examples?
https://www.reddit.com/r/1984/s/ce8hmOp282
That thread doesn’t give any substantive examples—the only specific one is rather poorly described.
Since we don’t actually live in 1984 (yet), I kind of doubt someone could alter a widely published edition of the book without anyone noticing. But if you’re concerned, I would try to find an older hard-copy edition (not an e-book).
If you want more money to go to the family, Sonia Orwell made sure Orwell’s son got very little. He was interviewed and not bitter at all. He was doing OK but could have been wealthy.
Are you looking for a version in English or Hindi?
Honestly I don't know anything about different editions availabile in India.
The only variations I've seen in English may have different appendices---some have the text of Goldstein's book (from the story), some have an appendix on some of the syntax rules of Newspeak, some have both or neither of these.
There's an edition actually published in 1984 with a forward by American journalist Walter Cronkite called "1984: How Close Are We?" but from what I can tell the body of the novel itself is no different from one edition to another.
All I can say is, AVOID the Audible dramatization that came out a while ago. They took so many liberties with it that I made it maybe 15 minutes in then stopped.
David Bowie proposed to do a musical adaptation in the 1970s. He was out of his mind on drugs and may/may not have actually read the book at that time. George Orwell's estate said "no" but a few songs from it appeared on his Diamond Dogs album. Listen to those if you want but they are NOT canon.
Can I get the penguin one?
I guess so