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Finding George Orwell in Burma Audiobook
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(3.02) - 1,184 listener ratings
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Over the years the American writer Emma Larkin has spent traveling in Burma, she has come to know all too well the many ways this police state can be described as "Orwellian." The life of the mind exists in a state of siege in Burma, and it long has. The connection between George Orwell and Burma is not simply metaphorical, of course; Orwell's mother was born in Burma, and he was shaped by his experiences there as a young man working for the British Imperial Police. Both his first novel, Burmese Days, and the novel he left unfinished upon his death were set in Burma. And then there is the place of Orwell's work in Burma today: Larkin found it a commonplace observation in Burma that Orwell did not write one book about the country but three—the other two being Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four. When Larkin quietly asked one Burmeseman if he knew the work of George Orwell, he stared blankly for a moment and then said, "Ah, you mean the prophet."
Finding George Orwell in Burma is the story of the year Larkin spent traveling across this shuttered police state using the life and work of Orwell as her guide. Traveling from Mandalay and Rangoon to poor delta backwaters and up to the old hill-station towns in the mountains of Burma's far north, Larkin visits the places Orwell worked and lived and the places his books live still. She brings to vivid life a country and a people cut off from the rest of the world, and from one another, by the ruling military junta and its network of spies and informers. Orwell's spoor leads Larkin to strange, ghostly traces of the British colonial presence and to people who have found ways to bolster their minds against the state's all-pervasive propaganda. Orwell's moral clarity, hatred of injustice, and observant gaze serve as the author's compass in a less tangible sense too: they are qualities that also suffuse this, her own powerful reckoning with one of the world's least free countries.
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"I was drawn to this book because I fell in love with George Orwell after reading an essay titled "Shooting an Elephant." The essay describes an incident that took place during his time as a British police officer in Burma in the 1920s. "Shooting an Elephant" led me to other essays by Orwell. I found that I much prefer them to his fiction. They are passionately felt and finely crafted. In 2003, the author of this book traveled from place to place in Myanmar (Burma's new name), following the route of Orwell's various postings. It is her premise that three of Orwell's works of fiction--Burmese Days, 1984, and Animal Farm--aptly capture the 20th century history of Burma. Burmese Days is a portrait of the country under British colonial rule, and Animal Farm and 1984 reflect the horrors the country has experienced under the current military dictatorship since the 1950s. She supports her premise by interweaving her observations of life in Burma with explications of the three novels. This is the sort of nonfiction book I love. It took me to a place I will never see myself and gave me a picture of contemporary life there in telling details. The book is full of intimate glimpses of many wonderful characters. It is beautifully written and very moving."
— Lam (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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A truer picture of authoritarianism than anyone has written since, perhaps, Orwell himself.
— Mother Jones
Finding George Orwell in Burma Listener Reviews
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" Fantastic travel novel about Burma, its landscape, culture and politics. You can imagine what it would be like to travel there after reading the book. "
— Anna, 2/14/2014 -
" kind of a downer as the end of most chapters alludes to the eclipse of democracy and what a mess/totalitarian state Burma/Myanmar is today...interesting and gives me new directions when I teach Orwell again and I love to teach Orwell--the man was a genius. "
— Jamie, 2/8/2014 -
" Learned a lot about Burma from reading this book...and Orwell's books took on a new light knowing where he lived and what that world is like. It's almost like the man could see the future. "
— Alexis, 1/29/2014 -
" This was interesting and educational at the same time. "
— Doris, 1/14/2014 -
" Don't see the point "
— Maryjo, 12/28/2013 -
" An informative account of the author looking and traveling through Burma and comparing it to Orwells Burmese Days. It gives a lot of history and insight into the current political situation and how it has been influenced by the past. Would recommend reading Burmese Days first. "
— Jessica, 12/9/2013 -
" Outstanding trace of Orwell's time in Burma. "
— Jan, 11/24/2013 -
" Worth reading, very sad though. It is definitely thought-provoking for how a totalitarian government can effect the everyday life of its people. "
— Zbhall, 8/28/2013 -
" The Burmese call George Orwell "the prophet..." "
— Stefanie, 6/30/2013 -
" An excellent insight into the world of modern totalitarianism and the suppressed worlds of the people that live beneath it. A book that highlights both the fear and hope of a nation ready for change. I'd recommend this highly to anyone. "
— Benjamin, 4/12/2013 -
" Mostly, a wonderful read, though difficult to keep interest in some sections, in my opinion.. Good background on where Orwell go the idea for 1874 and Animal Farm and gives you sympathy for modern day intelligent people living under a repressive regime in Myanmar. "
— Elise, 11/21/2012 -
" That does it; I am never living in Burma. "
— Matte, 7/14/2012 -
" great book about Burma; adds a lot of insight to the turmoil there. Follow Larkin as she travels around visiting Orwell's life in Burma, and how his books portray it. "
— Clarke, 5/17/2012 -
" Interesting combination of travelogue, history book and literary comparison... "
— Lauren, 12/18/2011 -
" Fantastic book set in Burma about Orwell's (she says) trilogy: Burmese Days, Animal Farm, and 1984. Loved loved loved this book - it satisfied my need to be immersed in an environment and my need to meditate on the bigger questions of life (like, "What is freedom?"). "
— April, 5/1/2011 -
" A well written look into the least free country on the planet. Thought provoking and beautiful. Depressing and scary. "
— Mike, 4/1/2011 -
" Worth reading, very sad though. It is definitely thought-provoking for how a totalitarian government can effect the everyday life of its people. "
— Zbhall, 3/21/2011 -
" A well written look into the least free country on the planet. Thought provoking and beautiful. Depressing and scary. "
— Mike, 1/13/2011 -
" This was interesting and educational at the same time. "
— Doris, 1/1/2011 -
" Really interesting if you've read 1984 and Animal Farm. Not an overwhelmingly exciting book, but I liked it. "
— Alison, 12/10/2010 -
" Love books that give me history, biography and politics in the context of travel. "
— Katrina, 12/2/2010 -
" Emma Larkin has found an interesting way to describe Burma and the day to day life of the people who live there by discussing George Orwell and his novels. This is a well written and researched book that makes me long to visit Burma again. "
— Saturday's, 11/10/2010 -
" Depressing topic but really, really good. "
— Megan, 10/5/2010 -
" It is an interesting way to go about understanding Burma. I have written a more formal review elsewhere. Recommended. "
— Mike, 9/29/2010
About Emma Larkin
Emma Larkin is the pseudonym for an American journalist who was born and raised in Asia, studied the Burmese language at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, and covers Asia widely in her journalism from her base in Bangkok. She has been visiting Burma for close to fifteen years.
About Emily Durante
Emily Durante has been narrating audiobooks for over ten years and is also an AudioFile Earphones Award–winning audiobook director. She has been acting since the age of seven and has performed in a number of stage productions at the professional, collegiate, and regional levels.