"Poverty is what I am writing about". In the late 1920s, Eric Blair resigned his post as a colonial policeman in Burma, immersed himself in the slums of Paris and London, and reinvented himself as George Orwell, one of the most revered prose stylists in the English language. Orwell decided to write about the lives of the poor - the dishwashers of Paris, the tramps of London - not by imagining poverty, but by experiencing poverty. The result is a book which is as provocative and incisive about class inequalities, ...
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"Poverty is what I am writing about". In the late 1920s, Eric Blair resigned his post as a colonial policeman in Burma, immersed himself in the slums of Paris and London, and reinvented himself as George Orwell, one of the most revered prose stylists in the English language. Orwell decided to write about the lives of the poor - the dishwashers of Paris, the tramps of London - not by imagining poverty, but by experiencing poverty. The result is a book which is as provocative and incisive about class inequalities, homelessness, and social prejudices today as it was when it was first published in 1933. Down and Out in Paris and London was George Orwell's first book, and it remains a masterpiece of prose writing. This edition is accompanied by an introduction which examines Orwell's book for its literary, social, and political significance. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
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A thread running through all Orwell's writing is a search for human goodness in the face of adversity, callousness, and the all too human thirst for power. He has a keen eye upon the world around him, be it in Burma, Catalonia, Oceana, or the mean streets of Paris and London, and sees clearly that threads of humanity lie more often in individuals rather than in social institutions.
JEL1947
Feb 20, 2014
A Nice Introduction to Orwell
This book is a nice introduction to George Orwell's writing. He and other young Englishman like Patrick Leigh Fermor in the twenties and thirties took to the road and wrote about it. His observations about Paris and London life from the bottom looking up are interesting and, as seems the case when looking at life from this perspective, similar. The book is not too long and the writing engages you. It is free of political perspectives and just what you might expect from someone who wanted to find out what life was like on a tight budget. The restaurant kitchen scenes, after watching Food Network's Restaurant Impossible, are not shocking.
mishv
Oct 23, 2008
gritty read that orwell is well known for
Not a cheery book, but for anyone who enjoys realism in writing or stories of hardship, this is the ticket for you. You won't feel broke after you read this book.
