Down and Out in Paris and London - George Orwell - Classic Literature Down and Out in Paris and London
George Orwell published “Down and Out in Paris and London” in 1933. It was his first book and was published when he was 30 years old. He had returned from Burma in 1927 and resigned his job as a policeman there. He began to plot to experience life as one of the underclass, and moved first to a small apartment in London, and then to Paris in the spring of 1928.
The book is both autobiographical and somewhat of a novel. He begins by describing what life was like in his hotel and the surrounding areas. He focuses on both people and their circumstances and lifestyles. As he, himself, descends into the crowd by becoming more and more poverty-stricken, his observations become both personal and reflective of the lives of those he meets and works with.
Orwell describes his work in a restaurant, along with his friend Boris, as seventeen and half-hours per day of exacting servitude. Glimmerings of his thoughts about socialism emerge. At one point, wondering why the workers do not form a union he reflects that they simply do not have the time to do so.
There are many vivid accounts of Paris and its people and style. Orwell is solid when recounting anecdotes from friends, acquaintances and co-workers. He clearly draws a picture of Paris life for the working class. Orwell describes being robbed, and becoming ill such that he was hospitalized. He writes with a keen eye for detail.
Orwell returned to London two years later where a job had been promised. When this did not materialize, Orwell decided to remain a “down and outer” and became homeless tramp for a time. Again his observations reflect his burgeoning philosophy of socialism. While he was not the first to write about the lives of the underclass, he was certainly one of the first to experience it himself for a long period of time. The writing is clear and descriptions solid.
