A commemorative coin with a sketch of an eye and the inscription "Big Brother is watching you" will be released in memory of writer George Orwell, author of the novel "1984", on the 75th anniversary of his death, the British Royal Mint announced.
The two-pound coin appears to have an eye, but it is actually a camera lens, and on the edge is another quote from Orwell's dystopian novel: "There was truth and there was untruth."
Artist Henry Gray said the theme of totalitarianism was central to his design.
"Because there are phones and cameras everywhere in your house and advertisers are listening to you on the phone, you're really aware of how you're being monitored – and that's what '1984' is. So the eye (in the design) is not a real eye. There's no eyelashes and stuff like that, it's almost like a camera lens that's staring at you the whole time, not blinking," Gray said.
The novel "1984", set in a fictional future, depicts the secret rebellion of civil servant Winston Smith against a totalitarian government and its leader, Big Brother.
Orwell, who is also known for his satirical political fable "Animal Farm," died in London on January 21, 1950, at the age of 47, a few months after the publication of the novel "1984."
The Royal Mint said the collector coin will go on sale on Wednesday at a price of £17,5 each.
The two-pound coins also feature other famous literary figures, including William Shakespeare, Jane Austen and John Ronald Reuel Tolkien.
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