Down and out in Paris and London (2006)

By George Orwell
Another book by my new literary hero, detailing his actual experiences of being poor in Paris and London. Should be mandatory reading for anyone who reckons that people who beg on the street make a good living! Also by anyone who wants to be discouraged from eating in restaurants or staying in hotels. A very interesting read, in Orwell’s simple, succinct style about which I have raved previously.

I might have to take Orwell off his pedestal though, and just place him near it instead – undoubtedly Orwell was a smartypants and a fabulous writer, but my ever-alert misogyny detector thought it detected a hint of misogyny. Near the end of the book, Orwell notes that the majority of homeless poor in England are male, and surmises that a woman who has fallen on hard times “can at least attach herself to some man”, which seemed a little over-simplified to me. I don’t suppose Orwell spent any time hanging out with women forced to work in brothels or live in the homes for unmarried pregnant women – although technically they do have a roof over their head, I wonder if he would really think their situation was a desirable alternative? (Orwell recounts at one point a particularly disgusting tale told to him by someone he met in Paris, about a girl who had evidently been sold into sexual slavery).

Nevertheless, this book is a fascinating account of how the poor of London and Paris survived at that time – I wonder if much has changed?

Rating: 7 out of 10