Orwell-inspired anthology raises funds as UK prepares to leave the EU

Unsung Stories is to publish 2084, a new collection of dystopian fiction featuring exclusive new stories from Christopher Priest, Lavie Tidhar, David Hutchinson and Jeff Noon, in July.

The anthology, inspired by George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, will be funded by a Kickstarter campaign which launches on Wednesday (29th March) as the UK begins the formal process of leaving the EU by triggering Article 50.

The publisher said: "Whilst our political landscape changes irrevocably, and the dangers of climate change grow stronger every day, 2084 presents visions of dystopias we may come to know - drone surveillance, a divided Europe, flooded cities, memes become religion, and more. In 1948, Orwell saw a world in flux, at risk of losing liberty so recently won. In response he wrote Nineteen Eighty-Four, a prophetic book. Now, in 2017, the themes are still with us. This anthology of new short stories draws together leading science fiction writers - famous for their visions of our near future - and asks them to look into our future, to the year 2084."

2084 features original fiction from Christopher Priest, Lavie Tidhar, Dave Hutchinson, James Smythe, Anne Charnock, Jeff Noon, Aliya Whiteley, Oliver Langmead, Cassandra Khaw, Desirina Boskovich and Ian Hocking.

Speaking about the anthology, George Sandison, managing editor at Unsung Stories, said: “We knew when we first started work on the anthology that the idea was timely, but the start of 2017 has really hammered home how important writing like this is."

He continued: “Dystopian fiction gives us a space in which to explore today’s fears, and the nightmares of society. For many people the events of the last eighteen months have brought those dark futures much closer, so it’s inevitable that we turn to literature to help us understand why. The ideas at work in 2084 range from the familiar to the fantastic, but all are bound by a current and relevant sense of what we could lose, what’s at stake. As with Orwell’s work, decades from now, we will be looking back to our stories, to better understand today.”

2084 will be published by Unsung Stories in July 2017.

Also on Wednesday night (29th March), Canbury Press will host a gala evening to “celebrate the the contribution of Europeans to the UK" as prime minister Theresa May triggers Article 50.

The event will take place at Conway Hall, Holborn, London, and intends to celebrate the "huge economic, cultural and social contribution EU nationals have made to the UK”. Political writers and researchers will highlight the benefits of migration to the UK, meanwhile comedy talent - including Grainne Maguire, Sindhu Vee and Shazia Mirza - will throw a satirical eye on Brexit Britain.