Down and Out in Paris and London

By George Orwell

The first book from the author of Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four.
 
Down and Out in Paris and London is an account of George Orwell’s experiences with poverty in France and England.
 
First, in France, he struggles to make ends meet while looking for work at various Restaurants, and when he manages to find employment, he discovers that the hours of cruelly long and the pay low staggeringly low. Eventually, he retreats to England with the promise of work, only to find that it will not start for several weeks. When his meager savings run out, he is forced to live on the streets until his new positions begins. It is a frank, honest depiction of a bleak way to live.
 
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• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Mar 29, 2016
• ISBN: 9781551998879

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 Down and Out in Paris and London

[kylekatz · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a very interesting and enjoyable read especially if one is poor, but not homeless or starving. It made me feel that it could be a lot worse. Orwell apparently undertook to do a bit of research in poverty, working as a dishwasher in a hotel and restaurant in Paris. Also being periodically out of work and living in filthy bug-filled lodgings and going several days without food.In London he tramped about with tramps taking down bits of their stories and chronicling the deplorable conditions of their lives. He made much of the point that the poor are just people like everyone else. If they are more prone to criminality, they are driven to it by their lot not the other way round.Begging was illegal in London and a tramp had to tramp from town to town each day because one was not allowed to stay in the same shelter more than once a month. Quite a cruel system. The shelters were extremely difficult to sleep in and the food was very inadequate, usually consisting of a little bread with margarine, drippings or cheese and tea. This was clearly set up to keep them on the move and out of everyone's hair, but it provided little opportunity to better yourself or get a job as you were weak with hunger and fatigue and had to spend what little energy you had on the marching from town to town. Usually walking about fifteen miles between shelters.There's also an excellent section on slang, and dialogue in a variety of colorful language, although the part on swear words was frustrating as they wouldn't print certain words, so you can't figure out quite what's being said. I sure would like to see an unexpurgated version if one exists.

[souloftherose · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A brief and alternately amusing and horrifying account of George Orwell's time almost penniless and almost always hungry in Paris and London in the 1920s**. In Paris he manages to pay for his apartment up front but has no money for food until he manages to get a job working incredibly long hours (by modern standards) as a plongeur (washer up) in a restaurant, In London he has nowhere to live and almost no money so is forced to join the tramps moving on daily from one lodging house or 'spike' (parish provided accommodation for tramps) - but only allowed to stay one night a month at each of the latter - hence the need to tramp from spike to spike. (I hadn't known this but it suddenly explained to me why there used to be tramps and aren't really anymore - homeless people can now be homeless in the same location - hooray for progress!)It's an insider's view of poverty at the time but also in many ways still an outsider's/observer's view. Perhaps because of his class/upbringing or simply from the effect of being the recorder of the experiences but I didn't have the sense Orwell was completely part of this world. However, there is a lot of insight into what it must have been like to live in those circumstances at that time and Orwell has a lot of sympathy for those in that position.One of the highlights of the book for me was a chapter towards the end with some notes on swearing and slang. Due to strict censorship at the time the swear words couldn't be printed, but rather than (as might seem more sensible) removing the entire chapter the publishers just blanked all the swear words which has the (presumably unintended effect) of causing the reader to spend more thought and energy trying to guess the swear words than if they had just printed them. Even recent publications of the book have the swear words blanked because there are no notes to show which swear words Orwell was actually writing about. Interestingly, they were allowed to print the French swear words.**Having read some bits on wikipedia it seems there is some debate regarding the extent to which this is a factual account - some of the events may not have happened in the order given in Down and Out or may not have happened to Orwell himself.

[lydiasbooks · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Tried to ignore it and persevere, but I just couldn't. I know I don't want to judge the behaviour of previous generations because they are influenced by things beyond my understanding; yet there was just too much anti-Semitism in this for me to carry on.

[technodiabla · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is Orwell's first major work, a non-fiction journal account of his own travels among the tramps in Paris and London during the Great Depression. Though I found the tales amusing, this reads like an early work-- not as tight as his later accounts, like Road to Wigan Pier, which is in my Top 10 of all time. Still, his analysis is spot on, but there's little of it; most of this book is travel vignettes. Recommended if you're in interested in Orwell's canon. Otherwise, not his best if you're only going to read one.

[g3north · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

a great book

[bkinetic_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A bleak account Orwell's life during a time when he was mainly without work and money. In one section, he writes about how little people with a good job know of the details of daily life among the severely impoverished. This kind of literature should be required reading for anyone assuming political office. Although Orwell found his way out of poverty, his case was unusual, making for a rare glimpse into this unfortunate world.

[lord_boris-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An investigation into the what and the why of the poor based on Orwell's own experiences in Paris and London during the 1920s / early 30s. How much is memoir and how much is fiction is hard to tell, but I expect a lot of the detail is based on fact. The first section deals with Paris. Here Orwell (or the narrator who we presume is Orwell) describes the lives of the destitute. He meets a Russian called Boris that leads him into a job as a plongeur, the lowest rung on the hotel kitchen staff ladder. This entails very long hours of hard work in dirty and hot conditions. A host of characters and anecdotes pass by until Orwell gets a job in London, except he has to wait a month for it to begin, during which time he lives on the road with a tramp called Paddy. This was much different to Paris. Tramps, because of the law, could not spend more than one night a month in the same 'spike' hence they wandered (still wander?) the countryside moving from one hostel to another. As in Paris we learn something of what it is like to be hungry and treated with little respect.

Following each half of the book Orwell gives a chapter over to some more considered thoughts on the lives of plongeurs and tramps. He likens the life of a plongeur to a slave, but a slave doing work that is not even necessary but down to fear of the mob. Tramps he finds are often victims of vagrancy laws that keep them moving and when the are not moving they are effectively held in cells. This to no real end other than to appease the perception that they are all thieves and blackguards.


"Then the question arises, Why are beggars despised?- for they are despised universally. I believe it is for the simple reason that they fail to earn a decent living. In practice nobody cares whether work is useful or useless, productive or parasitic; the sole thing demanded is that it shall be profitable. In all the modern talk about energy, efficiency, social service and the rest of it, what meaning is there except 'Get money, get it legally, and get a lot of it'? money has become the grand test of virtue. "

"It is curious how people take it for granted that they have a right to preach at you and pray over you as soon as your income falls below a certain level."

[cynthiard · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This memoir, the first book published by George Orwell, is a fascinating look at the different manners in which the British and French society dealt with poverty in the late 1920s.

[overthemoon_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My first FS collectable and I am very impressed with the quality. What's more, it has a ribbon marker.

[judtheobscure · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An interesting semi-anthropological account of life at the lowest rungs of society in Paris and London by a young Orwell. One senses a sensitive wilfulness in choosing such a life as well as the intense tiredness that scraping by as a dishwasher in a filthy Paris kitchen leaves one. Some of the writing is a bit clunky, particularly the introductions to chapters where he reflects back on the lot of a dishwasher, or a tramp, but already you can see the clear-eyed observation going on behind his eyes. A quick read for me. I read it after reading Keep the Aspidistra Flying, and I rather preferred the novel to the non-fiction because it was better structured and had a strain of black humor going through it.

[p_s_patrick · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

As the title suggests, this book is about Orwell's time as a down-and-out in Paris and London. As most people are not used to this mode of existence, it was educational. It was also very easy to read and entertaining due to Orwell's skill at writing and eye for amusing anecdotes.During his time in Paris he went through various jobs and forms of accomodation, having to pawn his clothes and go without food for days between finding employment. His existence in London was somewhat rougher, and his insight into the life of the tramps around him is revealing. Having been educated at Eton, and having worked as a journalist, he was able to appreciate the contrast between lives at each end of the social spectrum. I would recommend this to any reader.

[alv_29 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Interesting short introduction by Dervla Murphy.Lucid, well-meaning critical chapters summing up the lessons learned in Paris and London: the life of plongeurs and of tramps.Hilarious anecdotes on the tramps' attitude towards religious charities.Colorful slang in English censored out, short chapter on slang and swearing and its evolution.

[audramelissa_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love that Anthony Bourdain loves this book too. This book is a must for anyone who works or has worked in a kitchen. This is one I can re-read and never tire of it. Much of the book reveals the tragedies of the poor but Orwell is also a master at tragi-comedy.

[amydross · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fascinating and sobering account of living in true poverty... I thought this would be a book of bohemian hijinks, but I was completely wrong. The Paris section was more fun for me, since I knew intimately many of the places he was wandering about, but London was interesting because he was truly homeless there, not merely poor. Paris also seemed more lively because even the very poor managed to drink plenty of wine every day. The British version is endless cups of tea, which I found very depressing. I really don't understand the British fascination with tea -- even the most completely destitute would apparently rather spend a few pennies on tea than an extra slice of bread (to say nothing of fruit or meat). I guess tea kills hunger to a degree, but I'd still rather have wine.

[jacks0n_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Prior to reading this book, my knowledge of Orwell was rather limited - I'd read the standards: Animal Farm and 1984 - and I loved his essay Politics and the English Language, but that was all.I found Down and Out in Paris and London both entertaining and thought-provoking. It's not really written as either an autobiography or a straight non-fiction book but is closer to journalism than anything else. And it's very entertaining - the episodes and characters Orwell conveys are lively, and Orwell's own musings on the essentially useless nature of poverty (by which he concludes that poverty has no real purpose) are precise, humane, and accurate.More than anything, this book made me grateful for such simple pleasures as a long hot shower, a clean place to sleep, and decent food. I think anyone would enjoy this book, and I'd certainly recommend it.

[carlym_35 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Orwell describes his hand-to-mouth life in Paris and London. In Paris, he lives in a boarding house and works (part of the time) in a hotel, and then in a restaurant. In London, he is a tramp. The book is an interesting and generally well-written description of life on the edge, but Orwell's message that poor people are just ordinary folks who should not be treated differently just because they are poor is undercut by his racism and sexism.

[theboylatham_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

7/10.

Semi-autobiographical account of a penniless life in Paris and London. Interesting and funny.

[cestovatela · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A book that pleasantly exceeded my expectations. George Orwell spent most of his young life poor and as you can guess from the title, this book charts his descent from poor-but-getting-by to genuine poverty. He spends days trolling the streets of Paris for jobs with no food in his belly and not a spare coin for the metro. Landing a job as a kitchen scullion in a fancy hotel ends his economic woes but it's backbreaking labor that leaves most of his colleagues unable to marry, support a family, or have any sort of personal life. This section of the book reminded me a lot of Nickle and Dimed and The Working Poor, more recent non-fiction about poverty in America. If you enjoyed those books, you'll probably enjoy Orwell's as well. The second half the book, Orwell's days as a tramp in London, are slightly less relevant today but still qutie fascinating. Orwell's prose is much more lively here than in his other autobiographical piece Homage to Catalonia, which makes this a quick and interesting read all the way through.

[soniaandree_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It reads like a tourist's guide to Paris and London, but does not offer the usual advices: instead, this is the biographical account of George Orwell's life as a penniless author in the two cities.Do not expect nice accounts of the places, but the realism is there - if you feel like, try to find the streets mentioned in both cities, and you will have a feel of what was life for him. The characters are realist, acerbic and quite colourful, and reminds me of Joyce's Ulysses, but without the complexity of language.This is a definite read for a taste of 1920-1930s realism, with a taste of the backstreets, pimps and slums of the two capitals between the wars, but without being overly negative in its viewpoint. This is recommended for anyone interested in social realism, sociology and can be read in conjunction with Zola's 'L'assommoir'.

[albertgoldfain · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A vivid personal account about the "fringes" of poverty and a timeless work of journalism. I was amazed at how many differences there are in the London and Paris episodes recounted here. Sadly, this seems like a work that will be perpetually relevant, even as politics and policies shift.

[getupkid10 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A story that follows a poor brit journalist through his time working at various restaurants in Paris as a grunt laboring kitchen hand, and through his tramp days in London. In both places, the character is penniless, barely surviving for dinner, and sharing the stories of the people that surround him in his daily life.Though the anecdotes and vignettes are interesting and compelling (though not as stomach wrenching as some have stated), the books weight lays in Orwell statements n the plights of plongeurs in Paris and the tramps in London (which occur on page 115 and 200 respectively in the Harvest edition). In these he angrily opines on how the state and the bourgeoisie are at worst starving the poor while making them nomads and at best making them slaves. These are the most powerful portions of this short novel.

[tzelman_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Life among the penniless--tramps and street artists and dishwashers. The most section is the system at Hotel X.

[histreader · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Orwell pens a convincing story, so seemingly personal that I still don't believe it should be classified as "fiction." In the vein of a journal adapted for reading, this book also has the feeling of being a piece of journalism. Down and Out in Paris and London is not merely a fictional memoir, it is a expose on the working poor and those below the lowest of society. From Orwell's transition from "being" in Paris to scraping by in London and the end of the book, he offers some scathing observations and suggestions on how to help out those stuck toiling just for a slice of bread and butter once a day.

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

Brilliant. Orwell's trademark come through: a rational and painfully honest recounting of the world around him. Not as historically important as his finest work of memoir, 'Homage to Catalonia', but a great read. Lovers of food, history and social criticism all come together at the same table.

[melmore_10 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Among its other strengths, this book contains the best description I've ever encountered of what it's like to work as a dishwasher.

[davidmanheim · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Orwell, ever the interesting writer, manages to convey a particularly clear impression of the experiences of the urban poor in Europe 75 years ago, and was certainly a fun read. Particularly noteworthy is Orwell's discourse on the lack of necessity for certain types of menial labor, specifically in the restaurant business. The recommendations he makes about helping the urban poor in England were interesting chiefly because of the analytical approach to the causes of the problem in law, and the lack of understanding that occurs because of badly formed laws.I would certainly recommend the book, at least as an interesting diversion and new approach to the analysis of the poor, and the legal and social constructs that put them there.

[blackbelt2librarian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great book about Orwell's experiences being "down & out" in Paris and London. Love the description of his working in a restaurant & all the things that happen behind the scenes.

[whicker_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I thoroughly enjoyed this piece. It is an excellent account of personal experience without self-pity. A very different view of an outsider in Paris than usually allowed.

[hera_7 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love this book so much I have given away several copies. Absolutely essential reading that's seen me through tough times.

[coobeastie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The details of poverty may change, but the broad picture remains the same. This is notable not just for its social commentary, but for its readability - you feel that you know the people he meets and the places he goes from simple short descriptions.