“This sense of inadequate masculinity and constant self-awareness – the kind that makes Bowling picture himself walking down the road with his fat face, false teeth and vulgar clothes – is a huge part of what makes Orwell’s novels so readable. Just look at how Winston greets Julia’s advances with a classically Orwellian self-assessment. “I’m thirty-nine years old. I’ve got a wife that I can’t get rid of. I’ve got varicose veins. I’ve got false teeth,” he tells her. “What could attract you to a man like me?” Who could resist that for a chat-up line? Had he been around in the real 1984, Winston would surely have been a fan of the Smiths”.

read the full text on The Guardian.