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A review by ajkhn
Burmese Days by George Orwell
4.0
A good person recommended this book, and you should be warned like I was: no small part of it reads like the George Orwell's first book it is. Lots of awful Englishmen, not-much-better Burmese, and a few half-decent Indians. It's a great book, but/and it's basically EM Forester taking place in a Graham Greene setting. That's good! It's a fascinating contemporary look at empire and all of the weirdnesses therein. The cowardly protagonist is a bit of a Symbol of the Modern Man and all, but he's at least sympathetic and interesting.
It was a great thing to read while in Silicon Valley. Empire never dies, it just gets reskinned and all. There's probably a more thorough dissertation in all of this, but the only part of Orwell's Burma that doesn't fit in San Francisco is the extreme humidity.
As far as books and not my identification with them goes, it's a really good one. The grotesque protagonist, shadowy antagonist, and sheer character-ness of the characters make it very interesting. The emotional ride is very difficult. The bummer bachelor type is remarkable. It's definitely an identifiable, likable, book for a certain type of mid-20s dude. I'd be curious to hear what folks outside that demographic think of it.
It was a great thing to read while in Silicon Valley. Empire never dies, it just gets reskinned and all. There's probably a more thorough dissertation in all of this, but the only part of Orwell's Burma that doesn't fit in San Francisco is the extreme humidity.
As far as books and not my identification with them goes, it's a really good one. The grotesque protagonist, shadowy antagonist, and sheer character-ness of the characters make it very interesting. The emotional ride is very difficult. The bummer bachelor type is remarkable. It's definitely an identifiable, likable, book for a certain type of mid-20s dude. I'd be curious to hear what folks outside that demographic think of it.