The relevance of dystopian novels in the world today is frightening and devastatingly upsetting. Current political and social landscapes bear an unbelievable resemblance to some of the greatest pieces of literature. Are we living out dystopian predictions?

A dystopia, a typically totalitarian or post-apocalyptic society where there is great suffering, is a theme in literature used by some of the most prominent writers of all time. To really understand how it plays into society nowadays, it’s crucial to understand its key elements. 

While we may not realise it, we’re being watched more than we think, thanks to modern technology. There are more than one billion CCTV cameras in the world today, including 85 million in the US and 600 million in China. London is one of the most surveilled cities in the world, with around half a million cameras. 

In most countries the situation with government control is not as drastic as Orwell describes, but there are some worrying examples. 

It is well known that North Korea is the world’s most authoritarian country, with constant surveillance and brutal repression. Its citizens are prohibited from leaving the country without the government’s permission and face severe penalties for breaking any law. There is extreme censorship with no internet connection and only government-approved television and radio channels available.

Orwell also wrote Animal Farm (1945), a short novel depicting a totalitarian society, set on a farm. The pigs (who symbolise the totalitarian government) gain more and more power, eventually taking over the other animals without their awareness of it. At one point, the pigs write on the wall of the stable: “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” 

However, the revolutions described in books tend to be glamorous and romanticised and their leaders usually survive. This is not how it is in the real world, where revolutions are brutal and violent, lead to many deaths and are often unsuccessful. 

Two days after the elections in Georgia, a country in eastern Europe, on October 28 2024, the first wave of protests against the result, which were thought to be filled with irregularities, started. The second wave hit when the government announced its plan to stop EU accession talks. Just in the first week of the second wave of protests police are said to have used excessive force, resulting in the injuries of around 140 people. 

We are heading, dangerously, towards a dystopian world, where people are entirely controlled by the government and the rich. The similarity between the literary world and our society is what makes dystopian books so relevant, but also frightening. 

We need to educate ourselves and others through examples, such as the works of Orwell and Collins, and make better choices than those who came before us. As The Hunger Games warns us: “Stupid people are dangerous.” Ignorance isn’t harmless – it’s a threat.