Burmese Days

By George Orwell

George Orwell’s triumphant first novel. Informed by his experiences as a police officer in Burma, the novel paints a vivid portrait of the waning days of British imperial rule, and the racism and corruption that ran rampant.
 
It centres on John Flory, a European businessman in colonial Burma, disenfranchised by the bigotry he sees around him and his persistent feeling of being out of place. When he meets Elizabeth Lackersteen, a beautiful, sensitive young woman, he thinks he has found a kindred spirit, but the picture of her in his mind may not prove to match the real person.
 
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• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Mar 29, 2016
• ISBN: 9781551998886

George Orwell

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. An author and journalist, Orwell was one of the most prominent and influential figures in twentieth-century literature. His unique political allegory Animal Farm was published in 1945, and it was this novel, together with the dystopia of 1984 (1949), which brought him worldwide fame. 

Reviews for Burmese Days

[danielstj · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was an interesting novel. While I enjoyed the political plots and satires that were offered in the beginning, and the middle of the book, it seemed to go off-course when the romance was first introduced. Additionally, the climax and ending were less satisfactory than I would have imagined. Nevertheless, it is a first novel and still quite impressive. I recommend it for all those interested in Orwell.

[ffortsa · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It was interesting to read this after the Marguerite Duras book The Vice Consul, which takes place at approximately the same time and place but in the French colonial circumstance rather than the English. Where the Duras was a sort of mesmerizing dream, this is more of an account of misery, with its attendant racism and despair.

[kaitanya64 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Not my favorite of Orwell's, but a tragic story of how the colonial structure destroys the potential good in people.

[untraveller · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very nice....easily read w/ the typical Orwellian approach: a disdain for power centralized in the hands of a few, whether colonial or otherwise. Am really surprised this book garnered only a 4.0. My sole improvement would have been to include a glossary on Asian vocabulary used throughout the book. Purchased in Yangon about 3 weeks ago for 2,000 kyat, about $1.50 USD, new.

[madepercy-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Brilliant. Explores the stupidity of racism that still exists today. Ends in a sad story that Hollywood could never accept. Makes politicking look like an absurd past-time for idiots. Proves one of Aesop's most prolific fables. Is Orwell really Hemingway's older brother who became a preacher? If only Animal Farm and 1984 had not received so much attention, we might have known the difference. Orwell (aka Eric Arthur Blair) was three years older than I am now when he died. He lived such a full life but I think I will need longer to even contemplate his experiences, let along learn from them or create my own. Orwell was so far ahead of his time I doubt the current vanilla generation even come close to understanding what he understood, let alone do anything to right current wrongs. He is the master and I must read more of his work.

[phoenixcomet · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When you start reading a book, decide that you don't really want to get into the story, but go back to reading it anyway because the prose is "that" good, you know you have an excellent novel in your hands. And of course, it is written by George Orwell, whom every grade school student has had to read. Burmese Days is the story of Mr. Flory, an Englishman living in Burma during the days of colonialism. Flory is clearly a highly conflicted character, friends with the local doctor Verswami and at odds with his fellow Englishman, yet without the courage to directly conflict with them. And then comes Elizabeth, a beautiful young girl whom he falls madly in love with. All of the story is set within the context of local politico U Po Kyin's duplicitous scheme to discredit Verswami and to be elected to the local "club" which - up until this point - has been exclusive to only the British. The story is fairly straightforward and the ending a bit anti-climatic, but the sense of the times in Burma is clearly conveyed. For a greater understanding of British colonialism and the prevalent attitudes of the time, this is an excellent read.

[emscape · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

What a depressing book. Being an Englishman enforcing British rule in Burma is a dreary, painful, soul-crushing existence. Our 'hero', Mr. Flory is quite dismayed with his lot in life, finding his only pleasure in his chats with an educated Burman named Dr. Veraswami. Unfortunately, a local conniving pulchritudinous evil power-grubbing type, U Po Kyin has it out for Veraswami, and Flory along with him. Flory's lot in life seems to be looking up when young Elizabeth comes to stay with her aunt and uncle, and Flory attempts to woo her, but the machinations of U Po Kyin along with Elizabeth's vapid nature and cruel fate seek to deny him this pleasure. The other secondary characters, other Europeans, are a nasty, racist, horrid lot who revel in the mistreatment of the 'natives' while simultaneously basking in their praise and idolatry of the white men. It's obvious that Orwell, who spent time in British India, knows his subject and disdains his fellow Europeans. His alter ego, Flory, enjoys the local customs and the richness of the Burmese culture, but is vilified for this by his fellow men as well as Elizabeth. There is little hope for the future of these people or the state of British rule, and the result of reading this book is distaste and revulsion, not for the native men, but for their slavers. Which is probably Orwell's point. One takes little comfort in the fact that these days have past, knowing that this kind of thing is still going on in various countries around the world, but not at the hands of the British. Small favor, that.

[drfp_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Well this was a thoroughly depressing read. Regardless, Orwell's first novel is a decent offering that takes a while to get going, even if the book is not excessively overwritten. The pacing of the novel is merely uneven. Events unfold very slowly during the first third and gradually come faster until the almost sudden conclusion.Everything is quite standard here. A plot and cast that are interesting enough to keep you reading but neither of which forcefully grips. Perhaps if both hadn't been quite so nasty this wouldn't have been a problem. It goes without saying that Orwell's social and imperial criticism is particularly admirable, although that isn't enough to make this novel as good as the likes of Nineteen Eighty-Four.

[mrminjares · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Orwell's first attempt at a novel .. and not a very good one. His characters are not very compelling and his writing is overly flowery. This simply isn't his style. Orwell lived in Burma and surely Flory the protagonist is a semi-autobiographical character. There are great passages here about political suppression, particularly in the British club, where Flory feels stifled by its rules. Again, some foreshadowing here of Orwell's future concern with dictatorial regimes.

[mysteena · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this book, it was my first glimpse into life in India under British rule. I read it for Chris, who was suppose to read it for a class he was taking at the time. He wrote his book review based on what I told him about the book :)

[whiteriot · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A fantastic first novel. A critique of imperialism, a romantic tragedy and all based on real experience not academic research.

[carltonc_5 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I was disappointed by this, as although I found the book very informative about Burma between the wars - the tedium, hypocrisy and petty mindedness of the English ruling class - it has little narrative charm and is utterly predictable. I only struggled to finish it as I have read and admired Orwell's non-fiction, which can be brilliant.

[br77rino · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Written in 1934, this is a work of fiction in which the main character is a Brit working in Burma for a timber company. Flory is a man with a terrible birthmark on his face, and lines himself up more with the "savages" than his fellow Europeans in the small village he calls home. Spineless and cowardly, however, he's not of much use to them. Great as a description of the time and place for whites in greater India, the jewel of the British Empire at the time.

[idiotgirl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Listened to this book while travelling in India over the past couple of weeks. A very interesting book written in 1930s about the British empire in larger India. Interesting to know that Orwell was a policeman in Burma himself. Like to think of this as along the spectrum to Animal Farm and 1984. A pretty devastating picture of the late empire.

[leslie398 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Interesting but somewhat depressing look at British colonial life in the 1920s. Very few of the characters are sympathetic and even Flory, whom I found the most congenial, had his flaws. I was a bit taken by surprise by the way the Brits lumped Burma in with India and called the native Burmese blacks... Orwell clearly despised the prevailing racism and arrogance of these white colonials but the ending of the book seems to indicate a feeling of helplessness about the possibility of change.

[ellesee_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A not too subtle criticism of empire, ex-pats, loneliness, power and prestige, political maneuvering and human need. Set in post-WWI Burma, James Flory has felt trapped in this tropical hell-hole for the past 15 years. He's lonely and over the years has taken on a variety of "bachelor" vices: drinking, whoring and sloth. Yet, he would willingly give up this lifestyle for an opportunity to marry a woman (Elizabeth) with whom he could share his experiences living abroad and what these experiences have taught him and taken from him.Considered a "Bolshie" by his fellow British, compatriots, Flory avoids conflict by betraying his friend, an Indian doctor named Veraswami, but a series of events provide him an opportunity and the impetus to make amends by supporting his friend's endeavor to become the first non-white, European club member. A local constable has it out for Veraswami, and when fate conspires to save the good doctor from his machinations, the official targets Flory with scandal.Throughout the novel, Orwell clearly speaks to the reader in disparaging terms about the "real" nature of Empire abroad--both the rulers and the ruled become "less than"--the former made mad from undeserved power and privilege, the later relegated to a servile class, secondary citizens in their homeland. The British ex-pats, most of whom regard the Burmans as animals, live seemingly only to drink themselves into a stupor and complain about their situations. They are brutish and uncivilized--their affectations of civilized behavior fall short with each derogatory statement, each drunken pratfall, every violent gesture toward the Burmese and their Indian sepoys and laborers.I appreciate the various levels in which one can consider this novel. On one hand it is a rather vicious critique of the British Empire. On another it explores the psychological effects of loneliness, prolonged and entrenched loneliness on the human psyche. Flory is not the only lonely British soul in the novel. In fact, all of the Europeans, are in their own way, lonely. The only characters with healthy families are the Burmans. The one married couple is steeped in dysfunction. Flory maintains a superimposed fantasy upon the "girl" who he would take for a wife, which finally comes crashing down when scandal erupts expectantly. Orwell's women are controlling, sly, or vapid. They appear to rely on the men mostly for their own sense of power, to appeal to them for sex, money or other favors. Yet, I sensed something hidden beneath the apparently sexist layers--a depiction of the feminine as might have been learned by the British had they taken the care to learn: women, as symbolized by the Hindu goddess Kali, can create or destroy, and that power, unlike the political or economic abilities of the mass of men, is eternal. Flory becomes the "every man" who is repeatedly born of a woman only to be destroyed by a woman. Of course, he sets himself up for his own eventual demise because he fails to acknowledge the very kind of women his society has created and perpetuated. In this way, Flory and his fellow ex-pats embody the British Empire, and how they treat women and the locals, is how empires treat the lands they "conquer". I doubt this analogy was lost on Orwell (Empire=male; colony=female).I'm looking forward to reading Emma Larkin's travelogue on Orwell in her more recent journey through Burma.

[john257hopper · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An interesting and in many places rather distasteful picture of life in Burma under British rule. Most of the characters of all races and nationalities are rather unpleasant, with the exceptions of the central character Flory, who strives to be decent but is trapped in a lifestyle he cannot escape from, the Indian doctor Veraswami, with his basic humanity and unshakable faith in the British and, to some extent, the Deputy Commissioner Macgregor, who tries to preserve a certain decency and justice without challenging the system. Particularly horrible are the flagrantly racist Ellis, and the horrible Burmese manipulator U Po Kyin, though the behaviour of the cold-hearted Elizabeth Lackersteen and the military officer Verrall are also unpleasant. Not one of Orwell's better known works, but well worth reading. Finally, this could have done with a glossary to explain the large number of Burmese and Indian terms used.

[schmicker · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I spent some time in Asia, and Orwell captured the feeling so well.

[crazymamie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read this book after reading [Finding George Orwell in Burma]. I was curious about it, and if you want the ending to be a surprise, you should really read [Burmese Days] before reading Emma Larkin's memoir about retracing Orwell's life in Burma while he was stationed there. [Burmese Days] was Orwell's first novel, and you can tell that he wrote it after being witness to the effects of colonialism first hand. If it leaves a bad taste in your mouth, its because it's supposed to. Imperialism and colonialism aren't pretty and neither are the characters in this book, many of whom it is impossible to like. That it was Orwell's first novel shows, I think, but still, it is compelling and in the writing we see brief moments of what Orwell will achieve in later works. "The real work of administration is done mainly by native subordinates; and the real backbone of the despotism is not the officials but the Army....It is a stifling, stultifying world in which to live. It is a world in which every word and every thought is censored. In England it is hard even to imagine such an atmosphere. Everyone is free in England; we sell our souls in public and buy them back in private, among our friends. But even friendship can hardly exist when every white man is a cog in the wheels of despotism. Free speech is unthinkable. All other kinds of freedom are permitted. You are free to be a drunkard, an idler, a coward, a backbiter, a fornicator; but you are not free to think for yourself."

[meditationesmartini · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An early one of Orwell's, and appealingly self-contained in that interwar British realist way - no formal experimentation, no pretensions to metaphysics or universality or prognostication, just a story told straight, where you feel for the characters and learn a thing or two about Burma and get a bit of catharsis and that's that. I don't know whether his politics just weren't that developed yet, but he seems a tad overawed by the quality of the British race at times - describing Verrall or even Flory, he seems to slip from trying to evoke the godlike impression they make on the Burmese (the villain of the piece, U Po Kyin, being an exception) to expressing in aaaalmost an authorial voice the idea of their superiority - physical and mental if not moral. But hell, the footsoldiers of Empire must have been impressive in their day. Also, the bits with Elizabeth Lackersteen are a bit flat and tinged with melodrama at times, but Orwell always did have a public-schoolboy's awkwardness with making his female characters more than ciphers, didn't he?

[dougwood57 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

'Burmese Days', George Orwell's first novel, was based on his five years' experience as a member of the British Indian Imperial military police in Burma, which was part of British India at the time (1922-27) and remained so until 1937. Orwell was born in Bengal British India where his father worked for the Opium Department of the Civil Service. Orwell sets his rather sordid tale in a remote station of Kyauktada in Upper Burma. Through Orwell's considerable literary skills the reader feels the heat and rains: "...from February through May the sun glared in the sky like an angry god, then suddenly the monsoon blew westward, first in sharp squalls, then in a heavy ceaseless downpour that drenched everything until neither one's clothes, one's bed, nor even one's food ever seemed to be dry. It was still hot, with a stuffy vaporous heat. The jungle paths turned to morasses, and the paddy fields were great wastes of stagnant water with a stale mousy smell...Through July and August there was hardly a pause in the rain." Fictional Kyauktada station consists of eight whites in the midst of thousands of Burmese. Eight whites holding on to their cribbed vision of civilization with a social life centered around a cheap whites-only club and the once-every-six-weeks visit of the Anglican priest. Although he changed the names, Orwell's characters were based on real people he encountered. The corrosive affect of colonial rule takes a toll on everyone involved, British and Burmese alike. The Anglo Indians generally display racist attitudes that ranged from an accepted sense of one's own 'natural' superiority to raging hate. The Burmese are nearly as repugnant as they scrape and bow to curry favor with grater and lesser degrees of sincerity. The protagonist Flory is the only partial exception, but his maddening equivocation ultimately leads to dire results. Several of the British sink into booze to put away the malaise. Orwell had difficulty getting 'Burmese Days' published partially out of fear that it would anger supporters of the British Empire (especially Anglo Indians) and also fear of libel suits. After reading Burmese Days you will agree that these reactions would not have been surprising. No one comes off looking very good, British or Burmese, but least of all the British Empire. Was it really as bad as Orwell portrays? Perhaps it was, after all Kyauktada was far from a plum assignment. In any event Orwell's `Burmese Days' portrayal is closer to the mark than any romanticized renderings. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in the Asian subcontinent.

[williamcostiganjr · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a very good novel. The characters are engaging, the story is interesting, and Orwell's telling is excellent.Orwell describes the little nastinesses of the everyday life his protagonist, Flory, leads with such vividness that it creeps up on you; the atmosphere has become pervasive, and the reader feels frantic that Flory get some relief from this repulsive existence. An Englishwoman arrives in the town, possibly bringing Flory salvation, but his courtship does not prove that easy...Really a cool read

[buzzharper · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love southeast asia. Captures the feel. Read in early summer Florida.

[sa54d · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Who cries over dead Englishmen? This novel made me think about about the sort of people who lives in "the colonies" prior to the independencem movements of the mid-20th century. The way that unimportant people make themselves important in a new context: a new land. The natives fullfil the role that the colonist did back in his own country. Inferiority is their job and they had better be good at it. Orwell shows how some native people in the developing world at that time (and even now, by the way) look up to nearly anyone from a developed country. But the colonists carry out their social hierarchy and their vicious in-fighting without regard to the effect they have on the rest of the world. After you read this book, think about which characters cried over the death of Englishmen.

[julsitos2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This has to be the most scathing commentary on British colonial life where everone is abusive and prejudiced as hell. My hats to Orwell who saw the harsh realities of colonial life without pandering to the British authorities during that time.

[belgrade18 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Brilliantly written story about British colonial Burma. It was Orwell's first novel, and nearly as much a dystopia as 1984. A bit slow at times, with very few likable characters. Great insight into the British colonial culture and mindset. Highly recommended for those interested in 20th-century Asia as well.

[portialong · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I made it though 174 pages and failed to find a character I cared about or a plot-line that aroused my curiousity.

[daniel_m_oz · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A way of viewing how the Raj worked on peoples lives and relationships - whilst fiction it is based on the first hand experiences of the author which gives the narrative the feel of authenticity. The overall feeling is one of melancholy - perhaps the intended emotion to be felt regarding life in that outpost of the Raj at that time?

[burritapal · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Horrifying and fascinating at the same time.

[mbmackay · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Orwell's first novel - good in parts. The plot is well constructed, the characters sharply drawn, but lacking depth, and set against the backdrop of Burma during the colonial era. I struggled with the appalling bigotry of most of the lead characters, and with the inevitable doom of the lead character, who alone shows respect or sympathy to the land and its people, but who is destined for a bad ending. Glad I read it, but I can't see myself going back to it any time time soon.