Down and Out in Paris and London - George Orwell

Gosh - I can't believe that it's 40 years ago that I first read George Orwell's 'Down & out in Paris & London' & it's one of a very few books that I've re-read. Orwell is probably best known for '1984', 'Animal Farm' & 'Road to Wigan Pier' though he was a prolific writer who was described by The Economist in 1953 as, '.. pehaps the best 20th century's chronicler of English culture..' Don't let this give you the impression that Orwell's books are unreadable, in fact they are highly readable on several levels so can be enjoyed by a huge number of people. 'Down & out in London & Paris' is a semi-autobiographical ...

People often underestimate the power of Orwell as a true literary writer commenting about facts in our history. In some aspects this is correct and he has been in the past openly criticised for his satire Animal Farm; however Down And Out In Paris And London is one of if not the best understanding of poverty and hardships that I have come across to date in any literary text. The novel is not very long and I find this effective in the sense that I can always reopen the novel in later weeks and realise how actually fortunate I am. The story begins with our protagonist; a writer who has been ruined by circumstance is forced to sell all his worldly possessions ...

Orwell started his writing career as a journalist, I believe, and if Down And Out In Paris And London is to be taken as indicative of his work, then he was stunning at his job. The book follows Orwell's time slumming it in the two cities of the title, and provides a wonderful insight into the lives of the extremely poor at the time it was written. He puts himself through a great deal, and succeeds in presenting a memorable picture of a variety of unique individuals and circumstances encountered upon his travels. Whatever your persuasion, this book makes for a very interesting and enjoyable read. ...