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A review by isabellarobinson7
George Orwell's 1984: The Graphic Novel by Matyáš Namai, George Orwell
4.0
Rating: 4 stars
Why after having read this book for the first time in 2020 and thinking it pretty decent have I now read the story three times? Is this one of those "secret favourite" books where I only realise how much I actually love it through how many times I have reread it?
This story is just addicting for me, (whether it be the original novel or this graphic novel adaption) and it seems I am not alone. The whole world has been obsessed with this book since its publication in 1949. Maybe it's due to an all round feeling of superiority that we as a society have always had towards Orwell's world. I mean, think you don't have much freedom? Try living in Oceania. Well, Orwell's Oceania, I should clarify. Our Oceania is pretty great. (As in Australia, New Zealand, Polynesia etc. etc.) I should know. I've lived in various different places and countries within the region my whole life and I am no party member, don't worry... or am I WAR IS PEACE FREEDOM IS SLAVERY IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
The only thing I found about the graphic novel is that it was in first person whereas the novel is in third, and this doesn’t quite work for part three. When Winston is in [redacted to avoid spoilers], he has no rational thought in his head due to a certain Mr. [redacted], so this part of the story being told from Winston's perspective doesn't really make any sense.
The adaptor/illustrator Matyáš Namai has some of the greatest "about me" sections I have seen. "Matyáš’ favourite hobby is roasting bacon over a fire." I mean, fair enough. This is the best one though: "Matyáš Namai can be described as many things. User of hands. Alive. Not a chandelier. Alongside these prestigious qualities he likes to consider himself a visual storyteller, and a drawsmith. If you desire to contact him for whatever strange reason you can do so through the little form below. In the meantime... have a nice day." Thank you ever so much for that invaluable information.
Ah! I just realised I am writing a review for a graphic novel and haven't even commented on the artwork! Namai does an amazing job at capturing the dreary society in Oceania, and pairing it with what I thought was quite a successful condensation of Orwell's text made for a version of 1984 almost identical in effectiveness to the original. The impact of the story was in no way lessened in the translation from prose to graphic novel. The illustrations didn't take over from what the words achieve on their own, nor did it feel like the illustrations were just tacked on to the words without much thought behind them. A good graphic novel should strike the balance between an illustrated edition (where the words are still the primary focus) and a picture book (where the pictures are front and centre), and this one hits that balance perfectly. Anyway, I’ve blabbered on about it for too long. The pictures were cool. That’s all I’m trying to say. Here’s a page as an example:
Oh, and on a side tangent, I am on the hunt for a pretty 1984 (the full novel version) edition. Ever since I read it the first (or maybe second?) time I wanted to own a copy. A trend I have noticed with this book is that there are some ugly/boring cheap editions that seem to do the rounds at bookshops near me, and some really gorgeous versions that I see images for online. (I also once found an affordable pretty copy but it was in German so I was jealous.) I will find one eventually, but I will just have to settle for the new SF Masterworks edition that came out earlier this year to add to me collection. (That was supposed to say "my collection" but I have decided to leave it as is and embrace my inner pirate.)
Why after having read this book for the first time in 2020 and thinking it pretty decent have I now read the story three times? Is this one of those "secret favourite" books where I only realise how much I actually love it through how many times I have reread it?
This story is just addicting for me, (whether it be the original novel or this graphic novel adaption) and it seems I am not alone. The whole world has been obsessed with this book since its publication in 1949. Maybe it's due to an all round feeling of superiority that we as a society have always had towards Orwell's world. I mean, think you don't have much freedom? Try living in Oceania. Well, Orwell's Oceania, I should clarify. Our Oceania is pretty great. (As in Australia, New Zealand, Polynesia etc. etc.) I should know. I've lived in various different places and countries within the region my whole life and I am no party member, don't worry... or am I WAR IS PEACE FREEDOM IS SLAVERY IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
The only thing I found about the graphic novel is that it was in first person whereas the novel is in third, and this doesn’t quite work for part three. When Winston is in [redacted to avoid spoilers], he has no rational thought in his head due to a certain Mr. [redacted], so this part of the story being told from Winston's perspective doesn't really make any sense.
The adaptor/illustrator Matyáš Namai has some of the greatest "about me" sections I have seen. "Matyáš’ favourite hobby is roasting bacon over a fire." I mean, fair enough. This is the best one though: "Matyáš Namai can be described as many things. User of hands. Alive. Not a chandelier. Alongside these prestigious qualities he likes to consider himself a visual storyteller, and a drawsmith. If you desire to contact him for whatever strange reason you can do so through the little form below. In the meantime... have a nice day." Thank you ever so much for that invaluable information.
Ah! I just realised I am writing a review for a graphic novel and haven't even commented on the artwork! Namai does an amazing job at capturing the dreary society in Oceania, and pairing it with what I thought was quite a successful condensation of Orwell's text made for a version of 1984 almost identical in effectiveness to the original. The impact of the story was in no way lessened in the translation from prose to graphic novel. The illustrations didn't take over from what the words achieve on their own, nor did it feel like the illustrations were just tacked on to the words without much thought behind them. A good graphic novel should strike the balance between an illustrated edition (where the words are still the primary focus) and a picture book (where the pictures are front and centre), and this one hits that balance perfectly. Anyway, I’ve blabbered on about it for too long. The pictures were cool. That’s all I’m trying to say. Here’s a page as an example:
Oh, and on a side tangent, I am on the hunt for a pretty 1984 (the full novel version) edition. Ever since I read it the first (or maybe second?) time I wanted to own a copy. A trend I have noticed with this book is that there are some ugly/boring cheap editions that seem to do the rounds at bookshops near me, and some really gorgeous versions that I see images for online. (I also once found an affordable pretty copy but it was in German so I was jealous.) I will find one eventually, but I will just have to settle for the new SF Masterworks edition that came out earlier this year to add to me collection. (That was supposed to say "my collection" but I have decided to leave it as is and embrace my inner pirate.)