'This novel is one of his finest in a long and redoubtable oeuvre' William Boyd, New York Times From renowned author Paul Theroux comes a fascinating, atmospheric novel inspired by George Orwell's years in Burma There is a short period in everyone's life when his character is fixed forever . . . ' George Orwell Eric Blair stood out amongst his fellow police trainees in 1920s Burma. Nineteen years old, unusually tall, a diffident loner fresh from Eton, after five years spent in the narrow colonial world of the Raj – a decaying system steeped in overt racism and petty class-conflict – he would emerge as the George Orwell we know. Drawing on all his powers of observation and imagination, Paul Theroux brings Orwell's Burma years to radiant life, tracing the development of the young man's consciousness as he confronts the social, racial and class politics and the reality of Burma beyond. Through one writer, we come to understand another - and see how what Orwell called 'five boring years within the sound of bugles' were in fact the years that made him. 'Always a terrific teller of tales and conjurer of exotic locales' Sunday Times 'The most gifted, most prodigal writer of his generation' Jonathan Raban
ISBN: | 9780241633342 |
Publication date: | 22nd February 2024 |
Author: | Paul Theroux |
Publisher: | Hamish Hamilton Ltd an imprint of Penguin Books Ltd |
Format: | Hardback |
Pagination: | 400 pages |
Genres: |
Modern and Contemporary Fiction Historical Fiction Biographical Fiction Colonialism and imperialism |