Down and Out in Paris and London
Down and Out in Paris and London (1933)
by George Orwell
190 pages - Penguin Books
This is Orwell's semi-autobiographical novel of the time he spent in the very poor sectors of society in Paris and London. In Paris he mostly spends his time as a dishwasher or doing other menial chores in hotels. He travels to London when he is promised an easier job, but when he arrives he finds that it has been delayed for a month, and so he spends that time travelling around homeless shelters with other tramps.
For most of the book you get a really good taste of the degradation, the displacement, and the boredom that comes with life at the poor edges of society. I think Orwell is a fine writer; his prose just has a clarity and rhythm that's so pleasing, and I wonder why I haven't read more of what he's written. About the only time this book falters is when Orwell tries to make statements about politics or social policies. It was Orwell's first book and he tends to make some statements that aren't very well thought out.
by George Orwell
190 pages - Penguin Books
This is Orwell's semi-autobiographical novel of the time he spent in the very poor sectors of society in Paris and London. In Paris he mostly spends his time as a dishwasher or doing other menial chores in hotels. He travels to London when he is promised an easier job, but when he arrives he finds that it has been delayed for a month, and so he spends that time travelling around homeless shelters with other tramps.
For most of the book you get a really good taste of the degradation, the displacement, and the boredom that comes with life at the poor edges of society. I think Orwell is a fine writer; his prose just has a clarity and rhythm that's so pleasing, and I wonder why I haven't read more of what he's written. About the only time this book falters is when Orwell tries to make statements about politics or social policies. It was Orwell's first book and he tends to make some statements that aren't very well thought out.