Have you read George Orwell’s…
…quiet horror, 1984? I’ve been putting it off. But this week after being gently shamed by my eldest over a pulp romantasy I’d just started, I decided to bite the proverbial.
And then as if on cue, the universe seemed to reflect what unfolded in the first pages of this iconic work of fiction.
About to cross the road and I pass a student walking my way; earphones in, eyes down, glued to his phone. And before I even have time to eye-roll, the message on his graphic t-shirt sneers… “I’m not interested in your opinion.”
Take a seat on the tram next to a woman trying to crochet a tender little plait out of orange mohair. A thick yellow and blue wool turtleneck hugs her chin. She’s an unmistakable melange of hippy-boho-arty-earth-mama. It’s like I can smell the vegan on her breath when we strike up an impromptu chat about life, motherhood, and the copy of 1984 in my lap. “I’ve read that. I know all the quotes and we’re living it now!”
She describes the movie that was based on it and when I wonder when it was made, she pulls out her phone and in seconds her AI pal is doing her bidding. The irony.
A few hours later I spot an old guy standing on a city corner holding a placard that reads, Break the spell. Free your mind. A cult rules the world. Violence. Corruption. Distraction. Destruction.
Life, art, imitating.
© Phyllis Foundis 2026