Burmese Days [Read by Frederick Davidson] - George Orwell Audiobook

Written by George Orwell
Read by Frederick Davidson
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

Burmese Days is a novel by English writer George Orwell. It was first published in the United Kingdom in 1934. It is a tale from the waning days of British colonialism, when Burma was ruled from Delhi as a part of British India – “a portrait of the dark side of the British Raj.” At its centre is John Flory, “the lone and lacking individual trapped within a bigger system that is undermining the better side of human nature.” Orwell’s first novel, it describes “corruption and imperial bigotry” in a society where, “after all, natives were natives—interesting, no doubt, but finally…an inferior people”.

Because of concerns that the novel might be potentially libellous, that Katha was described too realistically, and that some of the characters might be based on real people, it was first published “further afield”, in the United States. A British edition, with altered names, appeared a year later. When it was published in the 1930s, Orwell’s harsh portrayal of colonial society was felt by “some old Burma hands” to have “rather let the side down”. In a letter from 1946, Orwell said “I dare say it’s unfair in some ways and inaccurate in some details, but much of it is simply reporting what I have seen”.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burmese_Days

Reviews

”A well integrated, fast-moving story of what life was like in a remote backcountry Asiatic station.” –Chicago Tribune

”An absorbing story . . . The character of Lieutenant Verrall (who despised the club members from his own superior heaven of army and blue blood) is a masterpiece of acid delineation.” –New York Herald Tribune

”Orwell is a master at telling stories with bitter, satiric tone, and these adapt well to audio. Frederick Davidson reads with competence and just the right amount of affectation. ” –Library Journal

”Can take an honorable place beside A Passage to India.” –Saturday Review

About the Author

GEORGE ORWELL (1903-1950), the pen name of Eric Arthur Blair, was an English novelist, essayist, and critic. He was born in India and educated at Eton. After service with the Indian Imperial Police in Burma, he returned to Europe to earn his living by writing and became notable for his simplicity of style and his journalistic or documentary approach to fiction.