1984 - BOOK 392 pages
1984 By George Orwell Part One 1984 Chapter 1 I t was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were strik- ing thirteen. Winston Smith, his chin nuzzled into his breast in an effort to escape the vile wind, slipped quickly through the glass doors of Victory Mansions, though not quickly enough to prevent a swirl of gritty dust from enter- ing along with him. The hallway smelt of boiled cabbage and old rag mats. At one end of it a coloured poster, too large for indoor display, had been tacked to the wall. It depicted simply an enor- mous face, more than a metre wide: the face of a man of about forty-five, with a heavy black moustache and rugged- ly handsome features. Winston made for the stairs. It was no use trying the lift. Even at the best of times it was sel- dom working, and at present the electric current was cut off during daylight hours. It was part of the economy drive in preparation for Hate Week. The flat was seven flights up, and Winston, who was thirty-nine and had a va