"1984 has arrived, but Orwell's glum prophesy has not been fulfilled."
-- 99 Novels: The Best in English Since 1939 by Anthony Burgess.
It was the arrival of 1984 (the year, not the book) that inspired Burgess to compile a list of what he considered to be the 99 best novels published since 1939. I've been working on the list of novels for several years, but just now got around to reading the book. I wish I hadn't waited so long.