smithsonian journeys france through the ages

C I T I N E R A R I E S

Children-friendly itineraries, journey: france through the ages.

ITINERARY Highlights Include

• Southern Treasures: In the fortified town of Carcassonne, featuring the longest medieval city walls in Europe. Stroll through the market town of Albi, known for the artist Toulouse-Lautrec. In the breathtaking Dordogne region, known for its rugged countryside and lovely villages, enter the caves at Lascaux IV, visit charming Sarlat and the pilgrimage site of Rocamadour, and view cliffside castles during a leisurely cruise along the Dordogne River.
• Loire River Valley: Experience this legendary landscape of spectacular châteaux, including the romantic Château de Chenonceau, a Renaissance masterpiece that spans the River Cher; the Château Clos Luce, where Leonardo da Vinci spent his final years; and the World Heritage site of Fontevraud Abbey.
• Normandy: Gain insight into the extraordinary events of D-Day while visiting Utah Beach, Sainte-Mère-Èglise, Omaha Beach, and the Caen Memorial Museum. You’ll also stop in Bayeux to see the renowned Bayeux Tapestry and ascend cobblestone streets to the pilgrimage site of Mont St. Michael, Normandy’s famed medieval abbey. Along the Seine: Stroll through Monet’s gardens at Giverny, then conclude in Paris with a highlights tour.

SMITHSONIAN JOURNEYS

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• Cruising the Caribbean's Windward Islands – with Smithsonian Journeys Vieux Fort - Fort-de-France

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Cruising the Caribbean's Windward Islands – with Smithsonian Journeys

Vieux fort - fort-de-france, dates: 28/2/2026 to  8/3/2026.

Guest Speaker

Shore excursion or activity in each port of call + transfers included

In alliance with Smithsonian Journeys.

This cruise is part of a collection of PONANT voyages that are specially-tailored for English-speaking travelers who want to engage with the world. In addition to the usual elements of the PONANT experience, the listed price for these voyages includes transfers to and from the ship, talks and discussions aboard ship by world class experts, and a shore excursion or activity in each port of call that encourages guests to embrace the sights, sounds, tastes, and smells of the local environment and culture.

PONANT  brings you an itinerary to the heart of the most enchanting islands in the Caribbean Sea. Board  Le   Bellot  for a  9-day cruise  combining long stretches of white-sand beach, idyllic turquoise waters, and the laid-back island way of life.

Board your ship in  Vieux Fort,   St. Lucia,  whose two majestic volcanic peaks – the Gros and Petit Pitons –  jut dramatically from sea to sky and are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

You will then set sail for  Portsmouth  in  Dominica , a mountainous island where inland rivers and nature trails provide a glimpse into the intriguing flora and fauna of the island and – if you are lucky – the chance to see the nation’s national bird, the Sisserou Parrot. Do not miss the opportunity to sample some native chocolate from a local maker.

Continue north to  Les Saintes,  a small archipelago of  Guadeloupe , a highly popular anchorage site with crystal-clear waters and fabulous seabeds where opportunities to enjoy the seascape abound.  Snorkel, swim, or kayak in the shadow of the imposing 19 th -century Fort Napoléon.

Your ship will then sail south to the archipelago of  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines . Here, begin on the island of  Bequia , where small, picturesque villages, unbelievably clear waters, and brightly colored coral reefs prove main attractions. Then, enjoy a day on your magnificent private beach on the island of  Mayreau .

Continue to Saint George’s , the capital of Grenada , a hilly island of unspoiled beauty and the southernmost isle of the Lesser Antilles. Nicknamed the Spice Island, Grenada is home to a number of nutmeg plantations. The island boasts the pristine Grand Etang National Park , which you may choose to visit.

Anchor next in the  Tobago Cays Marine Park . This circle of islands, bound together by arguably the most beautiful coral reef in the West Indies, will reveal its incredible underwater wildlife during your visit.

Le Bellot  sails on to  Bridgetown, Barbados , whose UNESCO World Heritage-listed historic center reveals touches of its British colonial past around every corner. Toast the end of your cruise with a glass of the island’s famous rum as you relish the memories of your week at sea on this breathtaking stretch of the Caribbean! Your cruise ends back in Vieux Fort.

To further enhance your Caribbean odyssey, an experienced diving instructor will be on board for the entire cruise, enabling you to safely enjoy swimming, snorkeling, and scuba diving (PADI Open Water Diver or equivalent). (Diving is at an additional cost.)

The encounters with the wildlife described above illustrate possible experiences only and cannot be guaranteed.

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A voyage specially-tailored for English-speaking travelers including discussions with experts, transfers before and after your cruise, and an included excursion or activity in each port of call. Engaging...

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Your ship le bellot.

PONANT activities

Included in your cruise

Important trip details

1300 737 178 (or contact your travel agent)

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Choose your stateroom.

Deluxe Stateroom Deck 3  

From AU$8,170 per person 30% Ponant Bonus

Prestige Stateroom Deck 4  

From AU$8,590 per person 30% Ponant Bonus

Prestige Stateroom Deck 5  

From AU$8,830 per person 30% Ponant Bonus

Prestige Stateroom Deck 6  

From AU$9,160 per person 30% Ponant Bonus

Deluxe Suite Deck 5  

From AU$12,190 per person 30% Ponant Bonus

Deluxe Suite Deck 3  

Deluxe Suite Deck 6  

Deluxe Suite Deck 4  

Prestige Suite Deck 5  

From AU$13,100 per person 30% Ponant Bonus

Prestige Suite Deck 6  

From AU$13,520 per person 30% Ponant Bonus

Privilege Suite Deck 6  

From AU$13,840 per person 30% Ponant Bonus

Privilege Suite Deck 5  

Grand Deluxe Suite Deck 6  

From AU$14,250 per person 30% Ponant Bonus

Owner's Suite Deck 5  

From AU$20,590 per person

Complete your trip

Included in your cruise To make sure things run smoothly, PONANT has included certain elements before and after your cruise as part of the price.

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*Price is per person, based on double occupancy, based on availability, and subject to change at any time. The category of stateroom to which this price applies may no longer be available.

Services provided

• 24-hour room service
• Inclusive Wifi internet access (availability dependent on navigation and latitude)
• Individually-controlled air conditioning
• Dressing room with shelves and closet
• Dressing table and hairdryer
• Selection of Clarins top-of-the-line bath products
• Nespresso coffee maker and boiler
• Electronic safe
• Direct line telephone
• Bose Bluetooth speaker
• Flat screen TV, international channels (availability dependent on navigation) and videos on demand
• 110V American (two flat pins)/220V European (round sockets with two round pins)
• Two ADA staterooms

Select your stateroom category

Stateroom size

• - than 25 m²
• + than 25 m²

Deluxe Stateroom Deck 3

30% Ponant Bonus

Prestige Stateroom Deck 4

Prestige Stateroom Deck 5

Prestige Stateroom Deck 6

Deluxe Suite Deck 5

Deluxe Suite Deck 3

Deluxe Suite Deck 6

Deluxe Suite Deck 4

Prestige Suite Deck 5

Prestige Suite Deck 6

Privilege Suite Deck 6

Privilege Suite Deck 5

Grand Deluxe Suite Deck 6

Owner's Suite Deck 5

Boarding conditions and passenger travel abilities

We invite you to read our boarding conditions and passenger travel abilities by clicking here . 

Any new reservation implies the acceptance of these conditions.

To guarantee your entry into one or several countries, you must ensure that you comply with the formalities and health requirements specific to each destination. In just a few clicks on our online search engine, find all the formalities you must complete prior to your departure (visas, entry authorisations for each country, vaccinations, etc.).

The international situation can change rapidly, so be sure to check this information regularly prior to your departure. However, please note that we always recommend our guests contact the relevant national immigration and customs and border control authorities directly to find out what rules apply to their specific situation. PONANT is not responsible for any decisions made by guests based on the information provided by the online search engine.

The information below is current but subject to change at any time without advance notice from government authorities. Please consult your respective government agencies for visa and health information.

Passport valid for at least six (6) months beyond the completion of your trip. Passport must contain at least two completely clear, blank, unused visa pages for each visa required, not including any amendment pages. Visa pages with stains or ink from other pages in the passport are not usable. Guests who deviate from the scheduled embarkation or disembarkation port should research the foreign entry requirements for the port country. Due to government regulations, regrettably, Ponant will have to deny boarding to any guest who fails to obtain the appropriate travel documentation for this trip.

List of items prohibited on board

To guarantee the safety and well-being of our guests, certain items are strictly prohibited on board. Should you have one of these products or objects in your possession, they will be confiscated immediately and will not be transported on the ship. When an item transported aboard is considered illegal, the relevant authorities will be notified systematically.

Click here  for the full list of items prohibited on board. 

Warning about the use of drones : the use of drones aboard PONANT ships, whether they are sailing at sea, at a port of call or anchored, is strictly forbidden. The use of drones on land in the Arctic and Antarctic regions is also strictly forbidden by international polar regulations. In other regions, it may be possible to use drones on land if permission has been obtained from the relevant authorities of each country and each region travelled through, as well as a pilot’s licence that should be obtained from your home country. Passengers are responsible for obtaining these permits; they should be able to present them at all times. Passengers who do not obtain these authorisations expose themselves to the risk of legal proceedings.

Ideal clothes for life on board:

During the days spent on board, you are advised to wear comfortable clothes or casual outfits. The entire ship is air-conditioned, so a light sweater, a light jacket or a shawl may be necessary. When moving about in the public areas of the ship and the decks, light but comfortable shoes are recommended.

Informal evening:

In the evening, you are advised to wear smart-casual attire, especially when dining in our restaurants where wearing shorts and tee-shirts is not allowed.

• Simple dress
• Skirt or trousers
• Pleated trousers or chinos
• Sports jacket

Officer’s evening:

For all cruises longer than 8 nights, an Officer’s Evening with a white dress code may be organized. Therefore, we encourage you to bring a stylish white outfit for the occasion (otherwise black and white).

Gala evening:

During the cruise, two gala evenings will be organised on board. Thus, we recommend that you bring one or two formal outfits.

• Cocktail attire
• Evening dress (if you wish to)
• Tie recommended, possibly bow tie (if you wish to)

A small shop is available on board offering a wide range of outfits, jewellery, leather goods and many accessories.

A laundry service (washing/ironing) is available on board, but unfortunately there are no dry cleaning services. For safety reasons, your cabin is not equipped with an iron.

ACCESSORIES:

• Polarized sunglasses
• Swimsuit (for the Spa on board)
• Gym wear (fitness)
• Battery charger and memory cards for your camera
• Mobile phone charger

HEALTH CARE:

• Sunscreen and after-sun lotion
• Medications and prescriptions

OUTFITS ON BOARD:

• Casual outfits for the day
• Smarter outfits for dinners
• Elegant outfits for Gala evenings
• White or black and white outfit

PRECAUTIONS:

In your hand luggage, remember to bring any medicines that you need, and possibly a small spare bag of toiletries (in case of delay in the delivery of your baggage by the airline). Remember to always have your travel documents with you in case you need them: hotel vouchers, cruise vouchers, return flight tickets... Never leave them in your hold luggage.

All our cabins have a safe. We recommend not to go ashore with valuable jewellery.

Diving & initiation dive

Supervision of the dives

Your dives will be led by your PONANT instructor. He will take care of your safety and that all goes smoothly. On some diving sites, as in natural reserves or if the local regulations require it, a local guide will escort the diving.

Level required for scuba diving on this cruise

The minimum level required for scuba diving on this cruise is 1 star CMAS or the PADI Open Water Diver (or equivalent). The certification card, the diving log book and a recent medical certificate (less than 12 months) must be presented at the beginning of the cruise to our main diving instructor.

Process of the dives (certified divers)

The instructor reserves the right to check divers’ ability for maximum safety. As we will dive in remote places, the dives will be done without decompression stop. A safety stop of 3 minutes at 5 metres will be mandatory. The depth that can be reached will depend on the certification of the divers:

• For those with PADI Open Water Diver certificate (or equivalent), the maximum depth can be up to 20 metres.
• If two Stars CMAS or PADI Advanced Open Water Divers (or equivalent) wish to dive together independently, they must have a briefing first. They must have dive computers and are allowed to go to a maximum depth of 20 metres.

Process of the initiation dives (novice divers)

Before your initiation dive, your instructor will show you the equipment and will explain to you how to communicate underwater using hand gestures and how to breathe through a regulator. Once in the water, equipped with your material, you will learn how to breathe through your regulator on the surface for a couple of minutes. When your instructor feels you are ready, he will immerse you in water for about 20 minutes to a depth of 6 metres maximum.

Duration of the dives

The diving activity lasts from 2 to 3 hours, which includes the journey to the diving site and the diving. This duration may vary according to the site, the level of divers, weather conditions and the number of participants. For experienced divers, the duration of dives varies between 35 and 60 minutes depending on the site, the diver’s experience and consumption.

Supplied equipment

• Diving wetsuit
• Stabilising jacket
• Regulator with octopus and pressure gauge
• Diving computer (for divers mastering their use)

Mask and snorkel: for health reasons due to Covid-19, we strongly recommend that you come on board with your own mask and snorkel .As an exception, you will be able to borrow them in accordance with sanitary conditions.

The passenger may participate in scuba diving activities, subject to compliance with certain conditions established in accordance with the health, scientific and medical measures applicable on the day of the dive.

* within the limit of available stock.

Smithsonian Journeys is the travel program of the Smithsonian Institution, the world’s largest museum, education and research complex, consisting of 21 museums, the National Zoological Park, education centers, research facilities, cultural centers, and libraries. Drawing on Smithsonian's resources dating back 175 years, these sailings will feature notable experts and experiences that embrace local cultures and dive deeper into a destination’s history, cuisine, language, environment, and wildlife. For more than 50 years, Smithsonian Journeys has been rooted in and focused on cultural immersion and discovery – with a goal of inspiring guests to become global citizens through travel.

Subject to withdrawal in case of force majeure

• A voyage specially-tailored for English-speaking travelers including discussions with experts, transfers before and after your cruise, and an included excursion or activity in each port of call.
• Engaging discussions onboard with two Smithsonian Journeys Experts.
• UNESCO World Heritage sites: The Pitons of St. Lucia and Historic Bridgetown in Barbados.
• A true picture-perfect sampling of the West Indies: endless white-sand beaches, colorful reefs, idyllic turquoise waters, and the laid-back island way of life.
• A discovery of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, considered one of the world’s most stunning archipelagos.
• A barbecue lunch on your private beach on the island of Mayreau.
• Opportunities to sample local specialties, such as chocolate, spices, and rum.
• Exceptional seabeds and reefs with the possibility to observe turtles, barracudas, spiny lobsters, and parrotfish.
• Myriad opportunities to swim and snorkel in crystal-clear waters.
• Possibility of diving (PADI Open Water Diver or equivalent) with an experienced instructor on board (additional cost).

Ports of Call & Excursions

28 February 2026 - Vieux Fort

Embarkation 28/2/2026 From 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm Departure 28/2/2026 at 6:30 pm

Vieux Fort lies to the far south of the island of Saint Lucia. This town, which was a strategic location in the sugar industry from the 18th to the 19th centuries, derives its authenticity from its rich history. Renowned for its LCVIF and beaches typical of the Caribbean , it is also famous for its mythical Moule-a-Chique Lighthouse. Built in 1912 and standing 200 metres (656 feet) tall, this lighthouse will be visible as soon as you arrive on the Saint Lucian coastlines. The beauty of Vieux Fort is also reflected in the underwater kingdom that surrounds it. It is home to an abundance of marine species, such as eagle rays or leatherback sea turtles. Vieux Fort is most likely to evoke feelings of enchantment and it reserves a soothing welcome, paced by the rhythm of its waves, for each of its visitors.

1 March 2026 - Portsmouth

Arrival 1/3/2026 early morning Departure 1/3/2026 late afternoon

With its mountainous terrain, vast tropical forest, hot springs, rivers and spectacular waterfalls, Dominica is undoubtedly the wildest island in the Caribbean. Protected by several national parks , this little-known land, located in the heart of the Caribbean Sea, between Guadeloupe and Martinique, will inspire adventure and exploration. During your port of call, do not miss out on discovering the enchanting landscapes of the Indian River : navigating through this dense mangrove, in which creepers, ferns, forest trees and giant roots are interweaved, is a magical experience, a fascinating voyage into the heart of an almost mystical natural universe.

2 March 2026 - Les Saintes

Arrival 2/3/2026 Departure 2/3/2026 late afternoon

During the feast of All Saints in 1493,  Christopher Columbus  discovered this archipelago of nine islands that he named "The Saints". Today, only two of them are inhabited. Terre de Haut, in the east, is dominated by the Morne Mire hill; at the summit stands  Fort Napoleon , paying homage to the islands' history. In the heart of the  botanical garden , shared by iguanas and cacti, there is an exceptional view of the  Baie des Saintes , one of the most beautiful in the world. The long shady beach of Pompierre, where it is forbidden to drop anchor, is a peaceful place for a swim, while Pain de Sucre Beach offers wonderful opportunities for snorkelling. On the island, don’t forget to taste the local speciality, the “tourment d’amour”, a cake made with coconut.

3 March 2026   4 March 2026 - Port Elizabeth, Bequia Island

Arrival 3/3/2026 late morning Departure 4/3/2026 at night

In the heart of the  Caribbean ,  Bequia  is the second-largest of 32 islands that make up the country of  St Vincent and the Grenadines . You will love the lively and picturesque atmosphere of  Port Elizabeth , the island’s main town. From the port, a promenade lined with beautiful traditional houses, landscaped gardens and small restaurants runs along the shoreline. It leads to Princess Margaret Beach, a wild beach where Princess Margaret herself has stayed and which seems to emerge directly from the tropical forest. From rainforest to lush meadows and long stretches of sand, Bequia will offer you a natural setting that is conducive to lovely walks and to spending time on the beach.

4 March 2026 - Mayreau Island

Arrival 4/3/2026 early morning Departure 4/3/2026 evening

Among the string of paradisiac islands with their sandy beaches that form the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines archipelago, Mayreau is the smallest. Its  peaceful and idyllic atmosphere , far from the madding crowd, invites you to relax. On shore, enjoy a  shaded and fully equipped beach  from which to go snorkelling if you’d like to observe the colourful fish around the coral sitting at the foot of the rocks that stretch across the bay.

5 March 2026 - Saint George's, Grenada

Arrival 5/3/2026 early morning Departure 5/3/2026 late evening

Delicately set in the curve of a bay on the west coast of Grenada, Saint George ’s lively commercial fishing harbour is especially colourful when the boats are being loaded with fruit and vegetables destined for neighbouring islands and when all the little fishing boats return from their day out at sea. This “ spice island ” capital is an excellent base for visiting the surrounding natural sites : its picturesque coast or the artisanal producers of chocolate and nutmeg, Grenada’s gold. Five kilometres (3 miles) to the south, you will be able to visit Grande Anse and Morne Rouge, two long sandy beaches.

6 March 2026 - Tobago Cays

Arrival 6/3/2026 early morning Departure 6/3/2026 late afternoon

Scattered between  St Vincent and Grenada , the  Tobago Cays  comprises five little islands: Petit Rameau, Petit Bateau, Baradal, Petit Tabac and Jamesby. This rosary of uninhabited cays in the  southern West Indies  is a  marine park  whose turquoise lagoons provide a home and safe haven for some outstanding marine fauna,  including peaceful green turtles . Girded and united by a coral reef, these secluded islands are a peaceful paradise for divers, swimmers and snorkellers.

7 March 2026 - Bridgetown

Arrival 7/3/2026 early morning Departure 7/3/2026 late afternoon

Bridgetown, the bustling capital of Barbados, is located on the island's south-west coast. Its historic quarters are UNESCO World Heritage sites and contain prime examples of British colonial architecture, which you will see between the postcard-perfect fishing harbour and St Ann's Fort. Streets shaded by palms and flamboyant trees lead you to the Anglican cathedral church of St Michael, built from coral stone, the Barbados Museum and George Washington House, a Georgian-style mansion. There'll be plenty of time to relax on the Caribbean beaches of Carlisle Bay , a few paces from the old town centre.

8 March 2026 - Fort-de-France

Arrival 8/3/2026 mid afternoon Disembarkation 8/3/2026 at 4:00 pm

Located on the western coast of Martinique, Fort-de-France will amaze you by the splendour of its bay, a magnificent cut-out in the coastline, considered as one of the most beautiful in the world. At the harbour mouth, on its strip of land, fort Saint-Louis overlooks the capital city of Martinique. If you climb up to it, you can see some breath-taking views. Saint Louis Cathedral and the Schoelcher library bear witness to a secular history, intimately linked to the island’s story. Why not try some fresh coconut at the colourful Grand Marché. Two really pleasant places you can take a breather in, right in the heart of the city, are the garden of Balata and the Aimé Césaire park.

Like the other ships in the PONANT EXPLORERS series, Le Bellot has been designed to provide absolute comfort for its passengers, even at the heart of the world's most remote and isolated regions. Racy lines, state-of-the-art equipment , a refined design, a softly muted and at the same time convivial ambiance together with a deliberately restricted number of cabins all contribute to the modernity of Le Bellot , a unique ship in the world of cruising. 

Find out more about Le Bellot

PONANT has organized the following included program for you, which starts the day of embarkation.

Included Features:

• A program of onboard enrichment provided by two Smithsonian Journeys Experts
• Transfers and luggage handling from the airport in Vieux Fort to the ship on the day of embarkation
• Comprehensive 8-night cruise aboard the deluxe Le Bellot , with all the amenities for which PONANT ships are famous
• One included shore excursion or activity in each port of call (see “Itinerary” for more information and choice of excursions, if applicable)
• Gratuities for ship crew and for guides and drivers on excursions
• Transfer from the ship to the airport in Vieux Fort at the end of the cruise on the morning of disembarkation

Not included:

• Independent meals and beverages ashore
• Personal expenses (such as laundry, telephone, etc.)
• This voyage is offered on a space available basis
• Program is subject to change without notice

Aboard your ship, an English-speaking lecturer will enlighten you about the culture and history of your destination to deepen your knowledge of the origins of local traditions, the history of emblematic sites, and stories involving famous personalities and those of major historical significance. During on-board lectures or on your shore visits, this expert will be there to share their precious knowledge with you throughout your PONANT cruise.

During an introduction to scuba diving or a more advanced dive for holders of the necessary certifications (level 1 on yachting cruises and 2 on expedition cruises), explore the planet’s most beautiful underwater environments in the company of a PONANT diving instructor, as well as a local instructor when required by local legislation. They will ensure that your dives are conducted smoothly and safely: supervision of four certified divers at a time, evaluation of diving skills and experience, adherence to safety stops, zones and the maximum depth authorised.

A recent medical certificate (less than 12 months) must be presented at the beginning of the cruise to the main diving instructor.

History of Now

What Does George Orwell’s ‘1984’ Mean in 2024?

Now 75 years old, the dystopian novel still rings alarm bells about totalitarian rule

Anne Wallentine

In recent years, some conservative American groups have adopted the slogan “Make Orwell fiction again,” a line that suggests the dystopian depictions of totalitarianism, historical revisionism and misinformation found in George Orwell ’s 1984 are now reality. Liberal groups may agree with some of those concepts—but would likely apply them to different events.

Seventy-five years after its publication on June 8, 1949, Orwell’s novel has attained a level of prominence enjoyed by few other books across academic, political and popular culture. 1984 ’s meaning has been co-opted by groups across the political spectrum, and it consequently serves as a kind of political barometer. It has been smuggled behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War and used as counterpropaganda by the CIA; at moments of political crisis, it has skyrocketed to the top of best-seller lists.

The language and imagery in the novel—which Anthony Burgess, author of A Clockwork Orange , once called “an apocalyptical codex of our worst fears”—have also been reinterpreted in music, television, advertisements and films, shaping how people view and discuss the terror of political oppression. The terms the book introduced into the English language, like “Big Brother” and “thought police,” are common parlance today. “ Big Brother ” is now a long-running reality TV show. 1984 -like surveillance is possible through a range of tracking technologies. And the contortion of truth is realizable via artificial intelligence deepfakes . In a world that is both similar to and distinct from Orwell’s imagined society, what does 1984 mean today?

Jean Seaton , director of the Orwell Foundation and a historian at the University of Westminster in England, says that 1984 has become a way to “take the temperature” of global politics. “It goes up and down because people reinvent it [and] because people turn to it … to refresh [their] grasp on the present. It’s useful because you think, ‘How bad are we in comparison to this?’”

In 1984 , three totalitarian states rule the world in a détente achieved by constant war. The all-seeing Party dominates a grimly uniform society in the bloc called Oceania. As a low-level Party member, protagonist Winston Smith’s job is to rewrite historical records to match the ever-changing official version of events. As a Party slogan puts it , “Who controls the past controls the future: Who controls the present controls the past.”

Winston begins to document his contrarian thoughts and starts an illicit affair with a woman named Julia, but the two are soon caught and tortured into obedience by the regime. Ultimately, Smith’s individuality and attempt to rebel are brutally suppressed. While most contemporary societies are nothing like the book’s dystopia, in the context of today’s proliferating misinformation and disinformation , the Party’s primary propaganda slogans—“War is peace,” “Freedom is slavery” and “Ignorance is strength”—don’t seem all that far-fetched.

According to Orwell’s son, Richard Blair , the writer thought his novel would “either be a best seller or the world [would] ignore it. He wasn’t quite sure which of the two it would be.” But soon after its publication, 1984 ’s best-seller status became clear. The book has since sold around 30 million copies. It most recently returned to the top of the American best-seller list in January 2017, after a Trump administration adviser coined the doublespeak term “alternative facts.”

“It’s a very relevant book … to the world of today,” Blair says. “The broad issue [is] the manipulation of truth, something that large organizations and governments are very good at.”

Many other dystopian novels carry similar warnings. So why does 1984 have such staying power? Orwell’s novels “all have exactly the same plot,” says the author’s biographer D.J. Taylor . “They are all about solitary, ground-down individuals trying to change the nature of their lives … and ultimately being ground down by repressive authority.”

1984 , Taylor adds, is the apotheosis of Orwell’s fears and hypotheses about surveillance and manipulation: “It takes all the essential elements of Orwell’s fiction and then winds them up another couple of notches to make something really startling.” Orwell’s precise, nightmarish vision contains enough familiar elements to map onto the known world, giving it a sense of alarming plausibility.

The novel traces the dystopian future onto recognizable London landmarks. “The really scary thing for the original readers in 1949 was that although it was set in 1984, it’s there: It’s bomb-cratered, war-torn, postwar England,” says Taylor. The University of London’s Senate House inspired the novel’s “ Ministry of Truth ,” as it had housed the Ministry of Information during World War II’s propaganda push.

Born Eric Blair in 1903, Orwell had a short but prolific writing career, chronicling politics, poverty and social injustice before his early death from tuberculosis in January 1950, just seven months after 1984 ’s publication. Though an accomplished essayist, Orwell is best known for 1984 and Animal Farm , his 1945 satire of Stalinist Russia.

Born in Bengal when the region was under British colonial rule, Orwell studied at Eton College but left the school to follow his father into the civil service. He became disillusioned with the colonial British Raj while serving in the Indian Imperial Police in Burma, an experience that inspired his first novel, Burmese Days . In 1927, Orwell returned to England and Europe, where he immersed himself in working-class poverty to write Down and Out in Paris and London and The Road to Wigan Pier . He fought against fascism in the Spanish Civil War, almost dying from a throat wound. The conflict reinforced his socialist politics : “Everything he wrote after that was against totalitarianism [and] for democracy,” Blair says.

Orwell wrote 1984 while battling tuberculosis on the Isle of Jura in Scotland, aware that his condition was deteriorating as he wrote the novel, Taylor says. Upon finishing the manuscript, he went to a London hospital for treatment, where he married editorial assistant Sonia Brownell from his hospital bed. The writer died three months later at age 46. Blair, whom Orwell had adopted with his first wife, Eileen O’Shaughnessy, shortly before her death in 1945, was 5 years old at the time.

Though Orwell described 1984 as a warning rather than a prophecy, scholars have demonstrated significant interest in mapping the author’s imaginings onto the modern world. “When I started writing, what I was involved in was something you could call ‘Orwell Studies.’ And now there's an Orwell industry,” says Taylor, who has published two biographies of the author. (His latest , released in 2023, was informed by new primary source material.)

Taylor attributes this popularity to Orwell’s “uncanny ability … to predict so many of the things that trouble us here in the 2020s.” He notes that in the United Kingdom, Orwell mainly draws political and literary audiences, while in the United States, scientific circles are increasingly curious about Orwell’s foreshadowing of modern technology and surveillance methods.

“There’s something about his work that keeps getting reinvented and reactivated” in relation to events that happened well after Orwell’s death, says Alex Woloch , a literary scholar at Stanford University. “I think of Orwell as a text that people can turn to in confronting many different kinds of political problems, and particularly propaganda, censorship and political duplicity.”

Orwell’s “main relevance in the U.S. was forged during the Cold War,” Woloch says. A democratic socialist and anti-Stalinist, Orwell was able to “represent the contradictions of the communist ideology, the gap between its self-image and its reality.” 1984 and Animal Farm “were understood as the exemplary anti-communist texts ,” embedded in U.S. curriculums and widely taught in the decades since.

“With the end of the Cold War,” Woloch adds, “Orwell’s writing could be claimed by many different people who were arguing against what they saw as various forms of political deceptiveness,” from the Marxist Black Panther Party to the ultraconservative John Birch Society .

“It’s very difficult to think of another writer who’s so much admired across all parts of the political spectrum,” Taylor says. “He’s almost unique in that way.”

Adapted to the needs of a broad range of readers, 1984 took on a life beyond its author and its pages. In her forthcoming book, George Orwell and Communist Poland: Émigré, Official and Clandestine Receptions , Krystyna Wieszczek , a research fellow at Columbia University, explores the use of 1984 as a tool of resistance. The novel “provided an easy-to-use vocabulary … that [readers] could use to name the phenomenon” of oppression, Wieszczek says. Copies were smuggled into Poland and other countries behind the Iron Curtain that divided Eastern Europe from Western Europe, some even in the diplomatic bag of a secretary to the French Embassy in Warsaw.

In the 1950s, a CIA operation sent Animal Farm and other “printed matter from the West [into communist countries] in gas-filled balloons,” Wieszczek says. But many Poles objected to this tactic, fearing a reprise of the devastating and unsuccessful 1944 Warsaw Uprising . Through distribution points across Europe, the U.S. also sent millions of copies of anti-communist literature, including 1984 , to Poland. According to Wieszczek, surveys suggest that as much as 26 percent of Poland’s adult population—around seven million people—had some access to clandestine publications in the 1980s. Polish émigré imprint s like Kultura in Paris also ensured banned publications reached audiences in the Eastern bloc during the Cold War. Cheekily, one of Kultura’s editions of 1984 even used a “Soviet militant poster as a cover,” Wieszczek says.

“Many people read 1984 as a very negative, pessimistic book, but … it had a kind of liberating impact … for some readers,” she explains. They were reading a banned book about banned books that reflected, to an extent, their own circumstances.

“ 1984 is a horrible book,” Wieszczek adds. “You never forget—it stays with you, this big pressure on the chest and the stomach. But somehow, it brought hope. There was this man on other side of the Iron Curtain who understood us. … There is hope because people understand.”

A protean text for political, intellectual and underground movements, 1984 has also resonated in popular culture. Its myriad artistic interpretations are explored in Dorian Lynskey’s The Ministry of Truth: The Biography of George Orwell’s 1984 . The novel inspired television shows, films , plays, a David Bowie album (though Orwell’s widow, Sonia, turned down the artist’s offer to create a 1984 musical) and even a “ Victory gin ” based on the grim spirits described in the novel. It was cited in songs by John Lennon and Stevie Wonder and named by assassin Lee Harvey Oswald as one of his favorite books. And its imagery continues to inform the public’s perception of what might happen if 1984 weren’t fiction after all.

In January 1984, an Apple Macintosh ad directed by Ridley Scott aired during the Super Bowl. It depicted a maverick woman smashing a Big Brother-esque screen that was broadcasting to the subordinate masses, and it ended with the tagline , “You’ll see why 1984 won’t be like ‘1984.’” The implication was that buying Apple products would set people apart from the crowd. In an Orwellian twist, although the ad positioned Apple as the underdog against the dominant IBM, the company actually had a competitive market share, claiming 25 percent to IBM’s 24 percent at the end of 1983.

While the term “Orwellian” can be used to describe Orwell’s style, “the classic use … is for politicians [who] grotesquely misuse language for ideological purposes and use language to disguise or pervert reality rather than to expose it,” Woloch says. Today, the phrase has become a “floating signifier,” Taylor says. “It’s so regularly used it doesn’t actually mean anything.” He cites a politician misusing “Orwellian” to complain about a perceived personal injustice (a canceled book contract).

“[Orwell’s] books have such widespread currency that you can use him to describe anything, really,” Taylor adds. “The word can mean anything and nothing at the same time.”

This is ironic, given how precise Orwell was about language. The reduction of language and creative thought to “ Newspeak ” in the novel figures largely in the population’s oppression. Orwell “was passionately committed to language as a contract crucial to all our other contracts,” writes Rebecca Solnit in Orwell’s Roses . He is “an exemplar of writing as the capacity to communicate other people’s experience,” Seaton says, “… so to read Orwell is, in a sense, to defend language and writing.”

Orwell’s main question, according to Woloch, “is how, as a thinking person and a fair-minded person, … do you confront the genuine pervasiveness of political problems that make up the world that we’re in?” The scholar quotes Orwell’s famous line from a 1938 New Leader essay : “It is not possible for any thinking person to live in such a society as our own without wanting to change it.”

“The big three themes [of 1984 ] that people ought to bear in mind,” Taylor suggests, “are the denial of objective truth, which we see everywhere about us, every war that’s currently taking place anywhere in the world and in quite a lot of domestic political situations, too; the manipulation of language … and the use of words to bamboozle people; and the rise of the surveillance society. … That to me, is the definition of the adjective ‘Orwellian’ in the 21st century.”

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Anne Wallentine | | READ MORE

Anne Wallentine is a writer and art historian with a focus on the intersections of art, culture and health. A graduate of Washington University in St. Louis and the Courtauld Institute of Art, she writes for outlets that include the Financial Times , the Economist , the Art Newspaper  and Hyperallergic .

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Smithsonian science education center publishes new climate resilience guide for youth.

Surface temperatures on Earth have increased faster in the last 50 years than any other 50-year period in the last 2000 years and this change in global temperature is impacting the weather and climate in every region on Earth. Around the world both people and nature are experiencing the adverse effects of climate change, and a thriving future requires us all to find a pathway to resilience to these challenges.  

The Smithsonian Science Education Center, in collaboration with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP), has developed Climate Resilience! How can communities adapt to a changing climate?   This new community research guide for youth ages 11–18, is underpinned by the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals and highlights strategies for local adaptation to global impacts of climate change such as rising sea levels, extreme temperatures, flooding, drought, and wildfires.  

As part of the Smithsonian Science for Global Goals project, Climate Resilience! is the twelfth freely available guide. Climate Resilience! encourages youth to explore how communities can adapt food systems, effectively manage water, improve community structures, and support cultural resilience—all in response to the effects of climate change. As students take on the role of action researchers, they gather data about their communities and evaluate potential actions that can build their climate resilience.   

“Climate change is happening, and today’s youth need educational experiences that help them discover the impacts of a changing climate on their local community, understand the effects of climate change and the underlying science, and act to contribute to a more resilient future.” said Carol O’Donnell, Director of the Smithsonian Science Education Center. “We want all youth prepared to be part of resilient communities ready to respond, adapt, and transform as they face the challenges of climate change.”    

Climate Resilience! How can communities adapt to a changing climate?   is supported by the Adrienne Arsht Community-Based Resilience Solutions Initiative. The conceptual framework for all Smithsonian Science for Global Goals guides was funded through a grant from the Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation.  

About the Smithsonian Science Education Center  

The Smithsonian Science Education Center (SSEC) is transforming K–12 Education Through Science in collaboration with communities across the globe. The SSEC is nationally and internationally recognized for the quality of its programs and its impact on K–12 science education. Visit the SSEC website to learn more about the Smithsonian Science for Global Goals project and follow SSEC on X and Facebook .   

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