Previously...

Isaac Asimov's Review of “1984” (1980) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26390752 - March 2021 (6 comments)

Review of 1984 by Isaac Asimov (1980) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18164679 - Oct 2018 (8 comments)

Thank you for that. I agree with mannykannot, miesman, and Wildgoose. Asimov let his own left-friendly tendencies miss the forest for the trees.

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nl 5 hours ago | parent [-]

I don't understand what this comment is trying to say.

The commentator mannykannot didn't really comment on the politics other than to agree that 1984 is a criticism of Stalism (which... I don't think anyone would argue with?).

Orwell also wrote "Animal Farm" which is a criticism of Fascism, and Asimov leads with this.

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hvs 5 hours ago | parent [-]

"Animal Farm" is a satire of the Russian Revolution.

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TMWNN 3 hours ago | parent [-]

Correct. More to the point, when it appeared many on the left attempted to wave this away by claiming that it was, as one put it, a "gentle satire" <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_Farm#Reception> when anyone who has read Animal Farm knows that it is in no way gentle in its satire.

What nl is attempting to do above is the latest iteration of what Animal Farm and 1984 both received from those who could not stand the spotlight of their scrutiny: Claim that the target is something else, and/or that Orwell's attacks are so pedestrianly obvious (since "everyone knows" that Stalinism is bad) as to be pointless.

	▲	nl an hour ago \| parent [-]
		> What nl is attempting to do above Um wow talk about bad faith! Actually it's been about 35 years since I read Animal Farm, so I took what the review said as valid.