George Orwell

a novel

Down and out in Paris and London

Laura Mauler

Pretty good stuff. I liked the Paris section much better than the London section because it was more interesting to read about the behind-the-scenes of hotels and restaurants rather than the toils of tramp life.

kyra

I found this book when looking for stories set in Paris (because despite living in the city, it began to feel too big and unreachable). The description promised a different perspective of the cities from the glamorous and romantic 20's Europe that I was used to. I purchased a copy of the book and started reading it, but it took me 4 months to finish it. It is incredibly difficult to read. 

Orwell describes his experiences with evocative details without attaching judgement to them. This made me close the book at some parts, take a deep breath and process the struggle. His perspective is empathetic - he never shows any reproach for people around him, nor their questionable actions. 

The narrator remains unnamed throughout the book, doesn't dabble much in the philosophy or the politics of the situation, yet it does not seem impersonal. Why? Because he is interested in and compassionate about the people and it shows. 

My takeaway from the book will be what is expressed in the conclusive lines:

"At present I do not feel that I have seen more than the fringe of poverty. Still, I can point to one or two things I have definitely learned by being hard up. I shall never again think that all tramps are drunken scoundrels, nor expect a beggar to be grateful when I give him a penny, nor be surprised if men out of work lack energy, nor subscribe to the Salvation Army, nor pawn my clothes, nor refuse a handbill, nor enjoy a meal at a smart restaurant. That is a beginning."

Andrew John Kinney

This is arguably my favorite Orwell book. I have never been part of the working poor as Orwell was at the time described in this book, but I have worked a job where I regularly worked 80 hour weeks and sometimes >100 hours, so I related to his work schedule that was so insane he did not have a spare moment to look for another job. It is also a window into the desperation of the Great Depression. Orwell scathingly describes the hypocrisy of the faith-based organizations in England, which had a very explicit quid pro quo in their soup kitchens for the poor. It is a fairly short, but hard-hitting book.

Highly recommended. Other Orwell books I loved are Homage to Catalonia and Burmese Days.

Meriem💫

This is a masterful and poignant depiction of what poverty, destitution and essentially of what starving for the sake of one's art are truly like.

Down and out in Paris and London a novel

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