i bought this george orwell book recently on a trip to the Uk. the only other orwell book i've read in full has been 'animal farm'. i started reading '1984' but it didn't really have that pull for me, (sorry). i did however quite enjoy 'down and out in paris and london', and i'm wondering if any of you have read it (or any other lesser-known orwell novels for that matter)? & if so, how did you enjoy them? i must admit, part of the attraction to the book for me was probably the fact that i had just been to london for the first time. synopsis from amazon.co.uk: Written when Orwell was a struggling writer in his twenties, the book documents his 'first contact with poverty': sleeping in bug-infested hostels and doss houses, working as a dishwasher in Paris, surviving on scraps and cigarette butts, living alongside tramps, a star-gazing pavement artist and a starving Russian ex-army captain. Exposing a shocking, previously hidden world to readers, Orwell gave a human face to poverty, and in doing so, found his voice as a great writer.
hmm. cool, haven't heard of this one... sounds like a moveable feast, hemmingway, and tropic of cancer, henry miller, which are great. i will keep my eye open for this orwell book, cheers
Yeh Applescruff, Down and out in Paris and London is one of my favorite Orwell books. The way he describes what goes on behind the kitchen doors in those fancy French restaraunts can turn one's stomach. 'Homage to Catalonia', is another smoothly written Orwell book. And, it's a first person narrative. Orwell was really there, and really did those things!
i think it's funny that so many people are posting in the '1984' thread but only a few have replied to this one. come on people, branch out!
I picked it up a few weeks ago in a used books store. I'm looking forward to reading it, but don't have much time right now. So, I understand it's good? How strange that you didn't like 1984, Apple! That one must be my favourite work of Orwell.
I picked it up a few weeks ago in a used books store. I'm looking forward to reading it, but don't have much time right now. So, I understand it's good? How strange that you didn't like 1984, Apple! That one must be my favourite work by Orwell.
most interesting thing about orwell is the fact that being a well positioned man, he turned himself as a poor and went to london and paris undergrounds to feel inside how poor people lived. This book is autobiographical, he lived out there in paris and london. And the other you were talking about Homage to Catalonia tells about when he left his job as a journalist and went to fight in the Spanish Civil War to defend the Republic against the fascist army in the International Brigades, and he was a member of the POUM party leadered by Andrew Nin. All of this is a very interesting (and sad) part of the Spanish history. It's great to see that other people are interested in this. But, i must say that 1984 is my favourite Orwell book. There are so many examples actually which confirm that he was right...
Down and Out is very good also his collection of Essays - Everyman's Library has a collection that you can find used at a low price. I think his nonfiction is better than his fiction. He has a lot to say about the dirty work of imperialism that is well worth reading today - may the FSM be with you
Hunter S Thompson said it was one of his favorite books He said All the Kings Men was his absolute favorite though
