It's about a modern artist who has pulped copies of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code and turned them into copies of George Orwell's 1984. The story going that charity shops were overwhelmed with unwanted copies of the former.
The lack of respect for The Da Vinci Code is a real bugbear of mine. It was a genuinely great book, that brought a lot of real joy and adventure to people ..lots of people. Even at the time there was a lot of snobbery from the intelligentsia class towards it though. Largely in regard the writing style, but also in regard the content in general. In fact, showing how much of a bugbear it is for me, I actually covered this topic on another blog way back in 2011 😄
Another bugbear for me is modern art in general, so this one doubly gets me (apparently the newly made copies of 1984 are going for £495 !).
When I first read The Da Vinci Code I absolutely zipped through it. At the time I was in a guitar band, (this must have been 2004/5 ish), and I remember we had a gig. I was that engrossed in the book that I was reading it at the venue before we played. It sticks in my mind because I remember someone pointing at me and saying, "Look, he's reading a book!", as if I had a plant pot on my head or something. But that was how engaging the book was, and not just for me - for millions of people. I gave my copy to my mam, who read it, who passed it on to someone she worked with, who read it. At the time she worked as a school dinner lady. So all sorts of people read it. People who wouldn't normally be avid readers.
Imagine that. A book people actually want to read.
I'm not saying you have to like the book, or that it's beyond criticism, but people should be able to recognise the success and cultural importance of it. Only intellectuals that can't see the wood for the trees can't.
George Orwell
I can't really imagine that Orwell would appreciate the pulping of the book too. There's something strangely dystopic about destroying books to make copies of 1984. It doesn't quite sit right.
Also, though I wouldn't like to say whether Orwell would've liked The Da Vinci Code or not, I'm pretty confident he wouldn't have criticised its simple, pacey writing style.
I'm reminded of this essay from Orwell whenever I think of intellectual word salads.
Politics and the English Language [a must read]
A Hopeless Testament
Finally, while I'm on the topic of 1984, I want to comment upon why it's so depressing (aside from the general observation that it seems to be becoming reality).
At the end of the book the main character Winston Smith [..I'm giving away the ending here, so if you'd rather not know, stop here].
//////////////////////////---
..the main character Winston Smith gets tortured and beaten by the state. So badly that he wants to die, but he can't die, as the state keeps him alive. So he's horrendously tortured to the point that he gets completely broken. At the end of the book he's just a shell of man, with no will at all to resist the state. He's resigned to the fact that it's futile.
So the book leaves you with the message that Big Brother always wins. You cannot beat the state. So it's very depressing - at least I found it depressing anyway. It's very grim and despairing.
Personally, I think this is because it's an inversion of the story of Christ. In the Christian crucifixion Christ is likewise beaten and tortured, but he overcomes this ..through death. The message is ultimately a positive and hopeful one. That the spirit can overcome the flesh. However, as Winston can't die he cannot transcend and overcome the state.
I don't think Orwell intended this, but as genius as he was I think you're still better off with the New Testament at your side than 1984. (With the caveat that it's my opinion that religious stories should be taken figuratively, not literally.)
In fact, as a final aside, with this Israel/Palestine conflict raging we're hearing a lot of talk about the Amalekites - a tribe of people that are symbolic of evil in Biblical texts. I think if you take these stories metaphorically they can be useful: that there is evil in the world; that people can be evil; that we all potentially have a little Amalekite in ourselves. However, if you take it literally. If you believe there are literal Amalekites, or descendants of Amalekites, that are inherently evil, and that need wiping out. Then that is a very dangerous way of thinking.
[Oh for the days of the exciting treasure hunt that was The Da Vinci Code. Much less depressing all round.
Anyway, I'm now going to head into town to check the charity shops, to see if I can find a copy to replace the one I gave away all those years ago.]
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