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Pulped Fiction (Nineteen Eighty-Four)

'Pulped Fiction' (2023) is David Shrigley's project of creating a limited edition run of 1,250 copies of George Orwell's 'Nineteen Eighty-Four', published by Shrig Books, each copy was sold with a screenprint. The book's paper was made from about 6,000 pulped copies of Dan Brown's 'The Da Vinci Code', and stray letters and words from Brown's novel can still be seen on its pages.

All Pulped Fiction (Nineteen Eighty-Four) Works By David Shrigley (1)

Significance & Analysis

'Pulped Fiction' has been called Shrigley's most conceptual work, because the edition is made from its own raw material: a bestseller nobody wanted, pulped and remade as a different book. The title says exactly that.

A charity shop's surplus

In 2017 the Oxfam Books & Music shop in Swansea filled its window with unsold copies of Brown's thriller and asked people to stop donating them, as it was taking in about one a day. The appeal made headline news. Over the next six years Shrigley's studio gathered copies from charity shops, second-hand booksellers and online sellers. The idea of turning them into 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' came when Shrigley reread Orwell's novel during the pandemic. He funded the project himself.

From pulp to page

The collected books were pulped at Frogmore Paper Mill in Hertfordshire to make new paper, and Aquatint in Wimbledon printed the edition. It was designed with the graphic designer Fraser Muggeridge, whose grandfather, the journalist and broadcaster Malcolm Muggeridge, proofread Orwell's original novel. The finished hardback runs to 256 pages.

Launch in Swansea

Shrigley launched the edition in October 2023 in the shop that started it, as an installation of black-and-white books stacked from floor to ceiling. The copies offered there sold out within the first hour. "It's like you've entered a totalitarian regime where there is no choice," he said of the display. The remaining copies followed online, and in June 2024 the edition was offered through the Art Basel Shop.

Is Pulped Fiction (Nineteen Eighty-Four) Signed and Numbered?

Yes. Shrigley signed and numbered every copy of the book, and the screenprint that comes with each copy is also signed and numbered. The 250 copies offered at the Swansea launch came first, and copies numbered 251 onwards went on sale online from 4 November 2023. The print is part of the edition, so a complete copy has both the book and its print.

Why Did Shrigley Turn The Da Vinci Code Into Nineteen Eighty-Four?

Because, in his words, "This is a book that people should read. It's still really relevant." The novel was also free to print: it entered the public domain in the UK on 1 January 2021, when the 70-year copyright term after Orwell's death in 1950 ran out. Shrigley has stressed that the project "should not be seen as a commentary on either writer".

How Is a Pulped Fiction Copy Different From an Ordinary Nineteen Eighty-Four?

The binding gives it away. The covers were made from the card backing and dust jackets of the hardback special edition of 'The Da Vinci Code', with the jackets turned inside out and screen printed with Shrigley's new artwork. Wear on the covers and jackets is intentional and part of the work. The typeface was also chosen to mirror the first edition of 'The Da Vinci Code'.

Is There a Film About Pulped Fiction?

Yes. The filmmaker Jay Bartlett followed Shrigley and his studio through the project, from the idea to the obstacles along the way, including bookshop closures in lockdown and a fire at the paper mill. The documentary was screened hourly at the Volcano Theatre in Swansea during the launch weekend, 28 and 29 October 2023, and has since been released online.