The Prophets of Doom

How Three Authors Mapped Our Route to HellThey weren't just writing fiction. They were issuing arrest warrants for the future.In 1920, Russian engineer Yevgeny Zamyatin wrote 'We' while watching the Bolsheviks transform his homeland into a surveillance state. Twelve years later, Aldous Huxley crafted 'Brave New World' as Europe teetered on the edge of fascism and technological revolution. George Orwell followed in 1948 with '1984,' fresh from witnessing both the horror of totalitarian regimes and the unsettling efficiency of wartime propaganda.These weren't escapist fantasies designed to shift paperbacks. They were warnings, written by men who'd seen enough of human nature and political power to recognise the cliff edge approaching.