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Finding George Orwell in Burma
A fascinating political travelogue that traces the life and work of George Orwell, author of 1984 and ANIMAL FARM, in Southeast Asia
Over the years the American writer Emma Larkin has spent traveling in Burma, also known as Myanmar, she's come to know all too well the many ways this brutal police state can be described as "Orwellian." The life of the mind exists in a state of siege in Burma, and it long has. But Burma's connection to George Orwell is not merely metaphorical; it is much deeper and more real. Orwell's mother was born in Burma, at the height of the British raj, and Orwell was fundamentally shaped by his experiences in Burma as a young man working for the British Imperial Police. When Orwell died, the novel-in-progress on his desk was set in Burma. It is the place George Orwell's work holds in Burma today, however, that most struck Emma Larkin. She was frequently told by Burmese acquaintances that Orwell did not write one book about their country - his first novel, Burmese Days - but in fact he wrote three, the "trilogy" that included Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four . When Larkin quietly asked one Burmese intellectual if he knew the work of George Orwell, he stared blankly for a moment and then said, "Ah, you mean the prophet!"
In one of the most intrepid political travelogues in recent memory, Emma Larkin tells of the year she spent traveling through Burma using the life and work of George Orwell as her compass. Going 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 where 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 vast network of spies and informers. Using Orwell enables her to show, effortlessly, the weight of the colonial experience on Burma today, the ghosts of which are invisible and everywhere. More important, she finds that the path she charts leads her to the people who have found ways to somehow resist the soul-crushing effects of life in this most cruel police state. And George Orwell's moral clarity, hatred of injustice, and keen powers of observation serve as the author's compass in another sense they are qualities she shares and they suffuse her book - the keenest and finest reckoning with life in this police state that has yet been written.
Over the years the American writer Emma Larkin has spent traveling in Burma, also known as Myanmar, she's come to know all too well the many ways this brutal police state can be described as "Orwellian." The life of the mind exists in a state of siege in Burma, and it long has. But Burma's connection to George Orwell is not merely metaphorical; it is much deeper and more real. Orwell's mother was born in Burma, at the height of the British raj, and Orwell was fundamentally shaped by his experiences in Burma as a young man working for the British Imperial Police. When Orwell died, the novel-in-progress on his desk was set in Burma. It is the place George Orwell's work holds in Burma today, however, that most struck Emma Larkin. She was frequently told by Burmese acquaintances that Orwell did not write one book about their country - his first novel, Burmese Days - but in fact he wrote three, the "trilogy" that included Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four . When Larkin quietly asked one Burmese intellectual if he knew the work of George Orwell, he stared blankly for a moment and then said, "Ah, you mean the prophet!"
In one of the most intrepid political travelogues in recent memory, Emma Larkin tells of the year she spent traveling through Burma using the life and work of George Orwell as her compass. Going 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 where 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 vast network of spies and informers. Using Orwell enables her to show, effortlessly, the weight of the colonial experience on Burma today, the ghosts of which are invisible and everywhere. More important, she finds that the path she charts leads her to the people who have found ways to somehow resist the soul-crushing effects of life in this most cruel police state. And George Orwell's moral clarity, hatred of injustice, and keen powers of observation serve as the author's compass in another sense they are qualities she shares and they suffuse her book - the keenest and finest reckoning with life in this police state that has yet been written.
295 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
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October 31, 2022
Finding George Orwell in Burma shares much, including an Orwellian regime, with Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick. Only this one isn't just about an Orwellian regime but about George Orwell himself, and the years he spent as a police officer in Burma. Unlike in NtE, which follows the lives of six individuals over an extended period of time, the locals in this one never appear for more than a few pages--the Anglo-Indian octogenarian left behind in a hill station long after the British have departed or the Indian woman working from dawn to dusk in a hotel on the Delta for the equivalent of about 4 dollars a month.
Orwell spent five years in Burma, and this book analyzes much of his work as well his life, drawing a series of parallels. Does it contain any groundbreaking revelations? It doesn't, but it's gorgeously written and fascinating, if heartbreaking. I knew nothing about Burma/Myanmar before reading this, and I'd be curious to know if anything has changed in the eighteen years since this book's publication. Perhaps for the twentieth anniversary we can get a new foreword by the author?
Orwell spent five years in Burma, and this book analyzes much of his work as well his life, drawing a series of parallels. Does it contain any groundbreaking revelations? It doesn't, but it's gorgeously written and fascinating, if heartbreaking. I knew nothing about Burma/Myanmar before reading this, and I'd be curious to know if anything has changed in the eighteen years since this book's publication. Perhaps for the twentieth anniversary we can get a new foreword by the author?
May 7, 2021
This was really three inter-related stories - Larkin's search for Orwell's roots in Burma (of which there are surprisingly many), a rough history of Burma under the waning days of the British Raj (which presents a not-surprisingly more critical view than the contemporaneous story of "Elephant Bill" Williams as told in the rousing Elephant Company: The Inspiring Story of an Unlikely Hero and the Animals Who Helped Him Save Lives in World War II, which I also recently read), and then the truly upsetting story of life in one of the most classically "Orwellian" societies on earth - present-day Burma.
Or at least "present-day" as of the early 2000's. Larkin ends her book recounting the ruling junta's 2004 attack on Aung San Suu Ki, during which some 70+ of her supporters were wounded or killed. Well, the good news is that since then, "the Lady" was finally released from house arrest in 2010, met with President Obama in 2012, and went on to finally be elected Foreign Minister and then "State Counsellor of Myanmar" (equivalent to Prime Minister) in 2016. So...yay??
Well, not really...because turns out she was not only terrible at the job, drawing international criticism for her failure to address Burma's admittedly intractable economic and ethnic problems - particular the brutal suppression (aka, genocide) of the native Muslim Rohingya population, but to then - just this past February - be deposed and rearrested in yet ANOTHER military coup...so that today, TODAY, Burma and its long-suffering people are in pretty much the same desperate situation they were in for decades leading up to Larkin's book, except that they now have even less cause for hope.
But I apparently digress. The book does a convincing job arguing that Orwell's three great books Burma Days, Animal Farm and 1984 in fact constitute one "Burma Trilogy," which is just heartbreaking. Larkin interviews and relates the personal stories of a number of everyday Burmans - all of them depressing; but perhaps the saddest are those of the dwindling population of mixed-blood Anglo-Burmans (mostly elderly women), a Eurasian minority that was never accepted by either side).
Burma and Laos remain the only Southeast Asian countries where I've never spent any time. And while I would love to someday visit Luang Prabang and see the Plain of Jars, I think I'll take a pass on Burma - at least until its people can look forward to a more hopeful future. But I do think I need to reread me some Orwell...
Or at least "present-day" as of the early 2000's. Larkin ends her book recounting the ruling junta's 2004 attack on Aung San Suu Ki, during which some 70+ of her supporters were wounded or killed. Well, the good news is that since then, "the Lady" was finally released from house arrest in 2010, met with President Obama in 2012, and went on to finally be elected Foreign Minister and then "State Counsellor of Myanmar" (equivalent to Prime Minister) in 2016. So...yay??
Well, not really...because turns out she was not only terrible at the job, drawing international criticism for her failure to address Burma's admittedly intractable economic and ethnic problems - particular the brutal suppression (aka, genocide) of the native Muslim Rohingya population, but to then - just this past February - be deposed and rearrested in yet ANOTHER military coup...so that today, TODAY, Burma and its long-suffering people are in pretty much the same desperate situation they were in for decades leading up to Larkin's book, except that they now have even less cause for hope.
But I apparently digress. The book does a convincing job arguing that Orwell's three great books Burma Days, Animal Farm and 1984 in fact constitute one "Burma Trilogy," which is just heartbreaking. Larkin interviews and relates the personal stories of a number of everyday Burmans - all of them depressing; but perhaps the saddest are those of the dwindling population of mixed-blood Anglo-Burmans (mostly elderly women), a Eurasian minority that was never accepted by either side).
Burma and Laos remain the only Southeast Asian countries where I've never spent any time. And while I would love to someday visit Luang Prabang and see the Plain of Jars, I think I'll take a pass on Burma - at least until its people can look forward to a more hopeful future. But I do think I need to reread me some Orwell...
February 2, 2012
A mix of a book: history, politics, travelogue, analysis and biography all rolled up into one. Emma Larkin manages to bring all these things together in an interesting way.
Tracing George Orwell’s career path in Burma while she is on a trip to Burma, Larkin contrasts her observations, the country’s political situation and the state of the people in present time with Orwell’s experiences as a young, impressionable colonial police officer in his various posts throughout Burma, his observations and the political situation in his time.
She makes the case that Orwell’s books, Burmese Days, Animal Farm and 1984 are a trilogy of Burma and its situation. It’s an interesting perspective.
Note: if you haven’t read Orwell’s books there are major spoilers in this book for Burmese Days and Orwell’s essay, Shooting An Elephant. There are more minor spoilers for Animal Farm, 1984, The Road to Wigan Pier and Keep the Aspidistra Flying.
Tracing George Orwell’s career path in Burma while she is on a trip to Burma, Larkin contrasts her observations, the country’s political situation and the state of the people in present time with Orwell’s experiences as a young, impressionable colonial police officer in his various posts throughout Burma, his observations and the political situation in his time.
She makes the case that Orwell’s books, Burmese Days, Animal Farm and 1984 are a trilogy of Burma and its situation. It’s an interesting perspective.
Note: if you haven’t read Orwell’s books there are major spoilers in this book for Burmese Days and Orwell’s essay, Shooting An Elephant. There are more minor spoilers for Animal Farm, 1984, The Road to Wigan Pier and Keep the Aspidistra Flying.
November 25, 2018
Larkin travels Burma looking for traces of George Orwell. She visits the city of his grandparents' residence, the police academy he attended, his posting, and scenes of his novels and essays. Everywhere she goes she finds Burma "Orwellian".
Larkin does a great job of describing how Burma has evolved to this and the prescience of Orwell. Her quotes and references to Burmese Days, Animal Farm and 1984 are perfectly placed with her modern day experiences.
Knowing the language, and apparently steeped in the culture, Larkin can do what few other outsiders can, look beyond the veneer and see what is actually there.
A friend visited Burma over a year ago returning with beautiful photos and stories about how friendly and OPEN the people were. This seemed contrary to my understanding of the situation but after a few chapters of Larkin, you're on to the whole thing. Using anecdotes from her interviews and Orwell's words, she shows you step by step how a police state entrenches itself.
When I read books like this, I worry about the interviewees. With Burma's perfect infiltration, how they escape notice? While names, including those of the author are pseudo, I hope descriptions of settings, professions and tea houses are well obfuscated.
I highly recommend this to anyone interested in Burma, Orwell or the political science, sociology or psychology of totalitarian regimes.
As you can see, the cover is absolutely stunning.
Larkin does a great job of describing how Burma has evolved to this and the prescience of Orwell. Her quotes and references to Burmese Days, Animal Farm and 1984 are perfectly placed with her modern day experiences.
Knowing the language, and apparently steeped in the culture, Larkin can do what few other outsiders can, look beyond the veneer and see what is actually there.
A friend visited Burma over a year ago returning with beautiful photos and stories about how friendly and OPEN the people were. This seemed contrary to my understanding of the situation but after a few chapters of Larkin, you're on to the whole thing. Using anecdotes from her interviews and Orwell's words, she shows you step by step how a police state entrenches itself.
When I read books like this, I worry about the interviewees. With Burma's perfect infiltration, how they escape notice? While names, including those of the author are pseudo, I hope descriptions of settings, professions and tea houses are well obfuscated.
I highly recommend this to anyone interested in Burma, Orwell or the political science, sociology or psychology of totalitarian regimes.
As you can see, the cover is absolutely stunning.
April 27, 2020
Re-tracing Orwell's own steps and making many of her own through modern-day Myanmar/Burma, Emma Larkin writes a convincing case that both 1984 and Animal Farm, George Orwell's most well-known works, are inspired by the paranoia and fear-mongering of the Burmese police state. Orwell spent approximately five years in Burma as a British imperial policeman in the 1920s, and traveled widely around the country. Many of his experiences in the country led to his work Burmese Days, and his experiences there undoubtedly influenced his later work, as well as his philosophies on colonialism, politics, and the future of society.
The book is part biography of George Orwell, and part modern-day travelogue and reporting in Myanmar/Burma. Larkin was watched closely as she traveled and researched for this book. The name "Emma Larkin" is actually a pseudonym, to ensure the safety of her many sources, the people she met everyday in her travels.
The book is part biography of George Orwell, and part modern-day travelogue and reporting in Myanmar/Burma. Larkin was watched closely as she traveled and researched for this book. The name "Emma Larkin" is actually a pseudonym, to ensure the safety of her many sources, the people she met everyday in her travels.
May 12, 2015
"By the old Moulmein Pagoda, lookin' eastward to the sea,
There's a Burma girl a-settin', and I know she thinks o' me;
For the wind is in the palm-trees, and the temple-bells they say:
'Come you back, you British soldier; come you back to Mandalay!'"
- "Mandalay", by Rudyard Kipling
George Orwell (Real name: Eric Blair) is most famous for his dystopian and anti-totalitarianism novels Animal Farm and 1984, but he also wrote an earlier novel about colonialism: Burmese Days.
Orwell's parents were born in Burma (now Myanmar) and he spent five years as a member of the British Colonial Police in the country. Those years he stayed in Burma were a major influence in his life, especially in his writing. This fascinating book retraces Orwell's journey through Burma and connects it with the present situation in the country.
"Emma Larkin" is a pseudonym of a writer who wanted to retrace Orwell's career in Burma as a Colonial policeman. She started in the city of Mandalay, to the southern Delta town of Myaungmya, to the capital Rangoon (now Yangon); then to Moulmein (now Mawlamnyine), the town of Orwell's parents and the actual inspiration for Kipling's poem "Mandalay"; and to Katha, the last town Orwell was assigned. In her travels, Larkin encountered ordinary Burmese who know Orwell and have read his books. It was delightedly good to learn that many Burmese are literate and that even some working class people have a love of reading (and tea). Perhaps it is a form of resistance to the military dictatorship that used to rule absolutely in their country.
It can also be said that novel "Burmese Days" is part of a trilogy that can include "Animal Farm" and "1984". Larkin thinks this is the case, as she often found Burmese intellectuals who relate the three books to their country's plight. Many Burmese call Orwell "The Prophet", because he was said to have accurately foretold the country's suffering under the military dictatorship. Larkin definitely found the country Orwellian, as she was constantly followed by informants and the people she talked to often spoke cautiously.
Part literature, part history, and part travelogue, "Finding George Orwell in Burma" is a fascinating look at what was a closed country. Now that the junta had relaxed its grip on the country and has allowed dissidents like Aung San Suu Kyi their freedom (Myanmar now has a relatively more open constitution and a civilian President), it is hoped that this country can rise up. However, recent news about discrimination against non-Buddhists can again tarnish this country's recent history.
There's a Burma girl a-settin', and I know she thinks o' me;
For the wind is in the palm-trees, and the temple-bells they say:
'Come you back, you British soldier; come you back to Mandalay!'"
- "Mandalay", by Rudyard Kipling
George Orwell (Real name: Eric Blair) is most famous for his dystopian and anti-totalitarianism novels Animal Farm and 1984, but he also wrote an earlier novel about colonialism: Burmese Days.
Orwell's parents were born in Burma (now Myanmar) and he spent five years as a member of the British Colonial Police in the country. Those years he stayed in Burma were a major influence in his life, especially in his writing. This fascinating book retraces Orwell's journey through Burma and connects it with the present situation in the country.
"Emma Larkin" is a pseudonym of a writer who wanted to retrace Orwell's career in Burma as a Colonial policeman. She started in the city of Mandalay, to the southern Delta town of Myaungmya, to the capital Rangoon (now Yangon); then to Moulmein (now Mawlamnyine), the town of Orwell's parents and the actual inspiration for Kipling's poem "Mandalay"; and to Katha, the last town Orwell was assigned. In her travels, Larkin encountered ordinary Burmese who know Orwell and have read his books. It was delightedly good to learn that many Burmese are literate and that even some working class people have a love of reading (and tea). Perhaps it is a form of resistance to the military dictatorship that used to rule absolutely in their country.
It can also be said that novel "Burmese Days" is part of a trilogy that can include "Animal Farm" and "1984". Larkin thinks this is the case, as she often found Burmese intellectuals who relate the three books to their country's plight. Many Burmese call Orwell "The Prophet", because he was said to have accurately foretold the country's suffering under the military dictatorship. Larkin definitely found the country Orwellian, as she was constantly followed by informants and the people she talked to often spoke cautiously.
Part literature, part history, and part travelogue, "Finding George Orwell in Burma" is a fascinating look at what was a closed country. Now that the junta had relaxed its grip on the country and has allowed dissidents like Aung San Suu Kyi their freedom (Myanmar now has a relatively more open constitution and a civilian President), it is hoped that this country can rise up. However, recent news about discrimination against non-Buddhists can again tarnish this country's recent history.
July 8, 2020
I first came across George Orwell when we had to read Animal Farm at school for a set text in the mid-1980s. This was around the time of the cold war and the way he portrayed the takeover by the pigs on the farm and the way that they changed the agenda each time for their own ends was quite chilling. 1984 was the year that everyone was reading Nineteen Eighty-Four, except me; I didn’t read it until 2013… I have since read a few of his books and found him a fascinating author to read, but I knew very little about him.
Before becoming an author he spent some time working in Burma, now Myanmar. Whilst he was there he was working with the Indian Imperial Police as an Assistant District Superintendent. He chose Burma as his maternal grandmother lived there. He learnt the language very quickly, but his position meant that he was responsible for the security of a couple of hundred thousand people. The imperial regime there oppressed the people and he was a part of it. In 1927 he became ill and was granted leave back in the UK and it was that here he resigned from the police force and decided to become a writer.
His short time there was to give us the books, Burmese Days and Shooting An Elephant, but as Emma Larkin finds, it was also to provide inspiration for Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four. Myanmar is a totalitarian state ruled with a heavy hand by the military with pervasive and constant monitoring and oppression of the populace. She spends a year in the country following his trail and talking overtly and often covertly to people who call him ‘the prophet’ and trying to see the parallels in his brief stay there and how his growing hatred of colonial rule was the fuel behind these two books.
It is a fascinating study of the man and the country as she traces the ghosts of his family past whilst trying to keep her nose clean with the authorities. Larkin is a very talented writer, managing to blend travel writing, as well as the biography of Orwell, alongside her take on this country as she tries to move around with the constraints they put on her. It is clear to see that the inspiration for Nineteen Eighty-Four was directly linked to the oppression that he was a part of when he was there. Very much worth reading for insight into Myanmar and Orwell.
Before becoming an author he spent some time working in Burma, now Myanmar. Whilst he was there he was working with the Indian Imperial Police as an Assistant District Superintendent. He chose Burma as his maternal grandmother lived there. He learnt the language very quickly, but his position meant that he was responsible for the security of a couple of hundred thousand people. The imperial regime there oppressed the people and he was a part of it. In 1927 he became ill and was granted leave back in the UK and it was that here he resigned from the police force and decided to become a writer.
His short time there was to give us the books, Burmese Days and Shooting An Elephant, but as Emma Larkin finds, it was also to provide inspiration for Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four. Myanmar is a totalitarian state ruled with a heavy hand by the military with pervasive and constant monitoring and oppression of the populace. She spends a year in the country following his trail and talking overtly and often covertly to people who call him ‘the prophet’ and trying to see the parallels in his brief stay there and how his growing hatred of colonial rule was the fuel behind these two books.
It is a fascinating study of the man and the country as she traces the ghosts of his family past whilst trying to keep her nose clean with the authorities. Larkin is a very talented writer, managing to blend travel writing, as well as the biography of Orwell, alongside her take on this country as she tries to move around with the constraints they put on her. It is clear to see that the inspiration for Nineteen Eighty-Four was directly linked to the oppression that he was a part of when he was there. Very much worth reading for insight into Myanmar and Orwell.
September 25, 2010
Oh, how I adored this book! The author uses George Orwell's writings about Burma to frame her present-day travels in the same country (now called Myanmar). If you have read any George Orwell, you will really appreciate this book in ways I can't even describe. But even if you haven't, you will still come away with a new appreciation for how average people cope living under a strict dictatorship. I still think about this book all of the time...go read it now!
September 27, 2011
I have visited Myanmar (formerly known as Burma). I had some misgivings about visiting the military totalitarian state at first. It is sort of a mini version of North Korea, but with less power. But this book helped changed my mind since I am equally interested in George Orwell, one of my favorite writers, and I particularly enjoyed his colonial novel Burmese Days. Thus, I was naturally inclined to read Emma Larkin’s book Secret Histories: Finding George Orwell In A Burmese Tea Shop. It didn’t disappoint. Larkin is gifted at vividly describing the people and places she visits. Her research into the life of Orwell, the history of Burma, and her political analysis of the current situation are interesting and informative. So it is an unique book in the sense that it is all at once a travel log, history, political analysis, Literary biography and literary analysis. I think she is particularly good in describing how living and working in Burma as a colonial policeman effected Orwell and influenced him to become a political writer championing the exploited and powerless:
The few snippets of autobiography that Orwell left behind indicate that his time in Burma was a major turning point in his life, marking his transformation from a snobbish public school boy to a writer with a social conscience who would seek out the underdogs of society and try to tell their stories. Orwell’s hatred toward colonialism, nurtured in the heat and solitude, grew like a hothouse flower.
She uses Orwell’s political novels like 1984 and Animal Farm to describe the currently situation in Myanmar where the government controls the people with strict censorship, informers, and military police. Despite the pleas of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s pleas for a boycott on tourism to protest the police state, I visited the country. I had met a Japanese NGO worker who urged me to visit and I feel that I supported local people by eating in their restaurants and staying in their guesthouses. I think I brought some outside influence to the people I met and saw the effects of the regime in person. This author has made it clear that the people appreciate the outside perspective visitors bring.
The few snippets of autobiography that Orwell left behind indicate that his time in Burma was a major turning point in his life, marking his transformation from a snobbish public school boy to a writer with a social conscience who would seek out the underdogs of society and try to tell their stories. Orwell’s hatred toward colonialism, nurtured in the heat and solitude, grew like a hothouse flower.
She uses Orwell’s political novels like 1984 and Animal Farm to describe the currently situation in Myanmar where the government controls the people with strict censorship, informers, and military police. Despite the pleas of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s pleas for a boycott on tourism to protest the police state, I visited the country. I had met a Japanese NGO worker who urged me to visit and I feel that I supported local people by eating in their restaurants and staying in their guesthouses. I think I brought some outside influence to the people I met and saw the effects of the regime in person. This author has made it clear that the people appreciate the outside perspective visitors bring.
March 7, 2020
อ้างอิงค��ามรู้อย่างรอบด้าน ทำให้เนื้อหามีมิติ
แม้แต่คนที่ไม่เคยอ่านหนังสือของออร์เวลล์
หรือไม่มีพื้นความรู้เกี่ยวกับการปกครองของพม่า
(ภายหลังสงครามโลกครั้งที่ 2)
ก็ยังเข้าใจต่อสิ่งที่ผู้เขียนเล่า และอ่านมันได้สนุก
ผู้เขียนเล่าเรื่องเก่ง สำนวนแปลดี
เป็นหนังสือที่อ่านไม่ยากเลย แนะนำค่ะ
แม้แต่คนที่ไม่เคยอ่านหนังสือของออร์เวลล์
หรือไม่มีพื้นความรู้เกี่ยวกับการปกครองของพม่า
(ภายหลังสงครามโลกครั้งที่ 2)
ก็ยังเข้าใจต่อสิ่งที่ผู้เขียนเล่า และอ่านมันได้สนุก
ผู้เขียนเล่าเรื่องเก่ง สำนวนแปลดี
เป็นหนังสือที่อ่านไม่ยากเลย แนะนำค่ะ
August 3, 2023
George Orwell's renowned work Nineteen Eighty-Four has immortalised his name in literary history. The novel's dystopian portrayal of a totalitarian state closely resembling the developments in the Soviet Union and its satellite states garnered significant attention. Interestingly, Orwell's final major work bears a striking resemblance to modern-day Burma, a far cry from the Burma he experienced during his service in the British Burma Imperial Police. Emma Larkin embarks on a compelling journey, driven by the belief that Orwell's formative years in Burma significantly shaped his perspectives as a writer and his strong critiques against British colonialism.
Emma's decision to travel to Burma solely to investigate Orwell's life there showcases her dedication to literary exploration. Relying on available archives at the British Library, she meticulously maps out five places where Orwell resided during his time in Burma, namely: Mandalay, the Irrawaddy Delta, Rangoon, Moulmein, and Katha, with the latter serving as the inspiration for his debut novel, Burmese Days.
Emma's literary pilgrimage parallels that of Rebecca Solnit, who delved into the significance of Orwell's stay in a cottage in Hertfordshire, England, and also resulted in the publication of a book, Orwell's Roses. Both authors set out on journeys to uncover hidden aspects and histories of Orwell's life, shedding light on the complexities within the writer.
An important aspect of Emma's exploration is her profound connection with Burmese culture, as she fluently speaks Burmese, a language she learned during her studies at the SOAS, University of London. Her visit to Burma occurred in the late 1990s or early 2000s (the time wasn’t specified, but the book was first published in 2004), a period marked by economic difficulties in the Southeast Asian region following the Asian financial crisis. The country was also grappling with the resurgence of the military junta after the 1988 pro-democracy uprising that brought Aung San Suu Kyi to the forefront of the democracy movement and removed General Ne Win from power. During her stay, the omnipresent surveillance by military intelligence instilled fear in ordinary citizens, reminiscent of the oppressive atmosphere depicted in Nineteen Eighty-Four. Despite these challenges, Emma observed a relatively high literacy rate in Burma and engaged in discussions about various books with the local ordinary people she encountered.
Beyond a factual account of her pilgrimage, Emma delves into the complexities of the post-colonial legacy in Burma, which continues to shape the nation's present condition, characterised by the military dictatorship and ongoing internal ethnic divisions. Her journey captures a diverse range of conversations with ordinary citizens, revealing untold stories that would otherwise remain absent from history books. By doing so, Emma paints a vivid panorama of Burma's invisible history, allowing readers to glimpse the multifaceted tapestry of the nation's past and present.
Emma's decision to travel to Burma solely to investigate Orwell's life there showcases her dedication to literary exploration. Relying on available archives at the British Library, she meticulously maps out five places where Orwell resided during his time in Burma, namely: Mandalay, the Irrawaddy Delta, Rangoon, Moulmein, and Katha, with the latter serving as the inspiration for his debut novel, Burmese Days.
Emma's literary pilgrimage parallels that of Rebecca Solnit, who delved into the significance of Orwell's stay in a cottage in Hertfordshire, England, and also resulted in the publication of a book, Orwell's Roses. Both authors set out on journeys to uncover hidden aspects and histories of Orwell's life, shedding light on the complexities within the writer.
An important aspect of Emma's exploration is her profound connection with Burmese culture, as she fluently speaks Burmese, a language she learned during her studies at the SOAS, University of London. Her visit to Burma occurred in the late 1990s or early 2000s (the time wasn’t specified, but the book was first published in 2004), a period marked by economic difficulties in the Southeast Asian region following the Asian financial crisis. The country was also grappling with the resurgence of the military junta after the 1988 pro-democracy uprising that brought Aung San Suu Kyi to the forefront of the democracy movement and removed General Ne Win from power. During her stay, the omnipresent surveillance by military intelligence instilled fear in ordinary citizens, reminiscent of the oppressive atmosphere depicted in Nineteen Eighty-Four. Despite these challenges, Emma observed a relatively high literacy rate in Burma and engaged in discussions about various books with the local ordinary people she encountered.
Beyond a factual account of her pilgrimage, Emma delves into the complexities of the post-colonial legacy in Burma, which continues to shape the nation's present condition, characterised by the military dictatorship and ongoing internal ethnic divisions. Her journey captures a diverse range of conversations with ordinary citizens, revealing untold stories that would otherwise remain absent from history books. By doing so, Emma paints a vivid panorama of Burma's invisible history, allowing readers to glimpse the multifaceted tapestry of the nation's past and present.
July 24, 2012
This was a book club pick and proved to be an interesting challenge because my prior knowledge of Burma was around zero, and I didn’t remember much from school about George Orwell.
Emma Larkin is a pseudonym for a writer who has lived in Thailand and has crossed the border into Burma (now Myanmar) several times to write about the country and its human rights issues. In this book, she traces the time George Orwell spent in Burma as a member of the British Imperial Police. His experiences there influenced his later writings, and he is sometimes refered to as The Prophet because 1984 seems to predict what happened in the country after the British left.
When I started the book, I was hopping on and off Wikipedia to refresh my memory of Orwell. I had a disastrous introduction to him with Animal Farm in the eighth grade and never got over it. Who has an eighth grader read Animal Farm as an independent reading choice and gives no background information??! I thought it was a book about talking animals and was horrified at the D on my book report. To this day, I am bitter. At some point I picked up 1984 and read it, but I remembered very little and had twisted it in with the plot of Fahrenheit 451. I was not prepared for this book.
Having a foggy memory of Orwell and almost no background on Burma or Myanmar, I struggled with this at first. I tried to find connections to my own life or topics that interested me, and I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it through. Asian culture is something I do not identify with and the history of the country, the politics and the customs felt completely foreign. I also had to take a detour into the expansion of the British Empire, which is not a quick trip.
However, knowing I had a book group to support me when I finished, I slogged through the first chunk and found myself getting more interested. There’s an edge to the story because of the political unrest and I kept expecting Larkin or her friends or interviewees to be imprisoned. She is often followed as she explores Orwell’s path but she knows how to work within the system and manages to stay safe.
I didn’t google her until about halfway into the book, but I finally did because I couldn’t figure out how she managed to travel alone in the country without being arrested or deported. “Emma Larkin” sounds like a white woman with blonde hair and blue eyes to me (what does that say about my stereotyped expectations?) but learning this was a pseudonym, it made sense. She needs to remain anonymous so she can publish her stories. She also needs to gain the trust of Burma’s people and she carefully changes names and places and writes in code to protect them, and herself.
The political structure in Burma is incredibly depressing, especially because at one point in history it was seen as a flourishing nation. Older generations remember this time. Some of them are beaten down by the changes, while others are angry and quietly fight against their government.
As Larkin visits the places where Orwell was, she describes the parallels between what has happened in Burma and the stories Orwell wrote. It is easy to see why he is called The Prophet. Did he write 1984 knowing it would happen in Burma, or was it coincidence? I think the book could be read against many countries’ practices now and would hold up as a prediction.
Having this as a book group choice was fantastic because when we met we realized there were a lot of depressing and scary parallels between what had happened and is happening in Burma/Myanmar and what is happening in America. What started out as an alien book turned into a discussion of what our own government is doing. We were mixed in our knowledge of Orwell and Burma, and it made for a great meeting as we pooled knowledge and made connections.
The end of the book is both depressing and hopeful. When Larkin finishes writing, Aung San Suu Kyi has disappeared and was feared dead. The government had kept her under house arrest for years and tried to isolate her from the people and the United Nations because she promotes democracy and many of the people support her. However, after the book was published, she was again released and continues her work for free elections. The country is still a disaster in terms of human rights, health care, political corruption and much more. I wonder how much hope the people have, especially the younger generations that don’t remember anything before the current government.
Side note: Our next book club choice is 1984 and I look forward to rereading it knowing more about Orwell. It will also be interesting to compare my reaction to reading it on my own in high school and my response to it today.
Emma Larkin is a pseudonym for a writer who has lived in Thailand and has crossed the border into Burma (now Myanmar) several times to write about the country and its human rights issues. In this book, she traces the time George Orwell spent in Burma as a member of the British Imperial Police. His experiences there influenced his later writings, and he is sometimes refered to as The Prophet because 1984 seems to predict what happened in the country after the British left.
When I started the book, I was hopping on and off Wikipedia to refresh my memory of Orwell. I had a disastrous introduction to him with Animal Farm in the eighth grade and never got over it. Who has an eighth grader read Animal Farm as an independent reading choice and gives no background information??! I thought it was a book about talking animals and was horrified at the D on my book report. To this day, I am bitter. At some point I picked up 1984 and read it, but I remembered very little and had twisted it in with the plot of Fahrenheit 451. I was not prepared for this book.
Having a foggy memory of Orwell and almost no background on Burma or Myanmar, I struggled with this at first. I tried to find connections to my own life or topics that interested me, and I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it through. Asian culture is something I do not identify with and the history of the country, the politics and the customs felt completely foreign. I also had to take a detour into the expansion of the British Empire, which is not a quick trip.
However, knowing I had a book group to support me when I finished, I slogged through the first chunk and found myself getting more interested. There’s an edge to the story because of the political unrest and I kept expecting Larkin or her friends or interviewees to be imprisoned. She is often followed as she explores Orwell’s path but she knows how to work within the system and manages to stay safe.
I didn’t google her until about halfway into the book, but I finally did because I couldn’t figure out how she managed to travel alone in the country without being arrested or deported. “Emma Larkin” sounds like a white woman with blonde hair and blue eyes to me (what does that say about my stereotyped expectations?) but learning this was a pseudonym, it made sense. She needs to remain anonymous so she can publish her stories. She also needs to gain the trust of Burma’s people and she carefully changes names and places and writes in code to protect them, and herself.
The political structure in Burma is incredibly depressing, especially because at one point in history it was seen as a flourishing nation. Older generations remember this time. Some of them are beaten down by the changes, while others are angry and quietly fight against their government.
As Larkin visits the places where Orwell was, she describes the parallels between what has happened in Burma and the stories Orwell wrote. It is easy to see why he is called The Prophet. Did he write 1984 knowing it would happen in Burma, or was it coincidence? I think the book could be read against many countries’ practices now and would hold up as a prediction.
Having this as a book group choice was fantastic because when we met we realized there were a lot of depressing and scary parallels between what had happened and is happening in Burma/Myanmar and what is happening in America. What started out as an alien book turned into a discussion of what our own government is doing. We were mixed in our knowledge of Orwell and Burma, and it made for a great meeting as we pooled knowledge and made connections.
The end of the book is both depressing and hopeful. When Larkin finishes writing, Aung San Suu Kyi has disappeared and was feared dead. The government had kept her under house arrest for years and tried to isolate her from the people and the United Nations because she promotes democracy and many of the people support her. However, after the book was published, she was again released and continues her work for free elections. The country is still a disaster in terms of human rights, health care, political corruption and much more. I wonder how much hope the people have, especially the younger generations that don’t remember anything before the current government.
Side note: Our next book club choice is 1984 and I look forward to rereading it knowing more about Orwell. It will also be interesting to compare my reaction to reading it on my own in high school and my response to it today.
July 28, 2012
I first read this book just over 5 years ago – I had to check back to be sure of when it was. I loved it – but rather rashly gave away my copy thinking I could get another copy easily. Well it proved rather harder to get a cheap copy (I balked at the some of the high prices on the internet). So when Kaggsy from Librarything recently offered me a second hand copy she had found I was delighted. It even arrived in time to fit into my month of re-reading.
Many years ago I read George Orwell’s Animal Farm, Nineteen Eighty Four (which rather terrified me as it was before the real 1984 and I was scared it might come true) The Clergyman’s Daughter and Keeping the Aspidistra Flying. I enjoyed them all – but until I came across this book in 2007 I sort of forgot all about dear old George. This book instantly fascinated me I particularly remembered..
“George Orwell’ I repeated ‘The author of nineteen eighty four’ The old man’s eyes suddenly lit up. He looked at me with a brilliant flash of recognition, slapped his forehead gleefully, and said ‘You mean the Prophet’
In the 1920’s George Orwell (still living under his real name of Eric Blair) lived in Burma for five years working as a police officer for the imperial police force. In her book Secret Histories Emma Larkin explores the impact of this time upon his work. She asks whether there was something about his experiences in Burma that allowed him to foretell the brutal dictatorship which exists today – but was still almost forty years in the future when Orwell lived in Burma. There are those who Emma Larkin tells us – don’t believe that Orwell just wrote one book about Burma, but that he wrote a trilogy, Burmese days, Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-four. I only read Burmese days this year – it has been in the back of my mind to do so ever since I first read this fascinating book. My re-reading of Secret Histories was enhanced by having read it so recently. In 1950 as George Orwell lay dying of TB – having had his typewriter confiscated – he was working on a novella – also set in Burma. So whether or not Animal Farm and Nineteen Eight-Four were really about Burma or not is probably not clear – and it is something Orwellian scholars can debate I am sure, but it would seem that George Orwell was affected by his time there. His novel Burmese days – published a few years after his sudden return from Burma was a savage and stinging critique of the racist colonialism that he would have been a part of. This was after all the time of Kipling’s Raj.
By the old Moulmein Pagoda, lookin' eastward to the sea,
There's a Burma girl a-settin', and I know she thinks o' me;
For the wind is in the palm-trees, and the temple-bells they say:
"Come you back, you British soldier; come you back to Mandalay!"
Come you back to Mandalay,
Where the old Flotilla lay:
Can't you 'ear their paddles chunkin' from Rangoon to Mandalay?
On the road to Mandalay,
Where the flyin'-fishes play,
An' the dawn comes up like thunder outer China 'crost the Bay! ( R Kipling)
It is interesting to note that the name Mandalay is one of the few not changed by the regime – they changed the name of Burma to that of Myanmar – just like in nineteen Eight-four – trying to wipe out the past and re-write history.
Secret Histories – is part literary criticism, part travelogue – I found Emma Larkin to be great company. She was a lone woman traveller in a part of the world wary and suspicious at best of foreign visitors – yet she shows no fear. She is careful to protect the identities of the people she meets. These people are wonderful, chatty and book loving. These people are only too aware of the truths that are hidden from them – they have their own ways of deciphering what is really going on by looking for what is missing from the government’s newspaper. Larkin’s affection for Burma and its people is obvious, combining this the way she has with a close examination of Orwell’s work is fascinating and utterly compelling.
Many years ago I read George Orwell’s Animal Farm, Nineteen Eighty Four (which rather terrified me as it was before the real 1984 and I was scared it might come true) The Clergyman’s Daughter and Keeping the Aspidistra Flying. I enjoyed them all – but until I came across this book in 2007 I sort of forgot all about dear old George. This book instantly fascinated me I particularly remembered..
“George Orwell’ I repeated ‘The author of nineteen eighty four’ The old man’s eyes suddenly lit up. He looked at me with a brilliant flash of recognition, slapped his forehead gleefully, and said ‘You mean the Prophet’
In the 1920’s George Orwell (still living under his real name of Eric Blair) lived in Burma for five years working as a police officer for the imperial police force. In her book Secret Histories Emma Larkin explores the impact of this time upon his work. She asks whether there was something about his experiences in Burma that allowed him to foretell the brutal dictatorship which exists today – but was still almost forty years in the future when Orwell lived in Burma. There are those who Emma Larkin tells us – don’t believe that Orwell just wrote one book about Burma, but that he wrote a trilogy, Burmese days, Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-four. I only read Burmese days this year – it has been in the back of my mind to do so ever since I first read this fascinating book. My re-reading of Secret Histories was enhanced by having read it so recently. In 1950 as George Orwell lay dying of TB – having had his typewriter confiscated – he was working on a novella – also set in Burma. So whether or not Animal Farm and Nineteen Eight-Four were really about Burma or not is probably not clear – and it is something Orwellian scholars can debate I am sure, but it would seem that George Orwell was affected by his time there. His novel Burmese days – published a few years after his sudden return from Burma was a savage and stinging critique of the racist colonialism that he would have been a part of. This was after all the time of Kipling’s Raj.
By the old Moulmein Pagoda, lookin' eastward to the sea,
There's a Burma girl a-settin', and I know she thinks o' me;
For the wind is in the palm-trees, and the temple-bells they say:
"Come you back, you British soldier; come you back to Mandalay!"
Come you back to Mandalay,
Where the old Flotilla lay:
Can't you 'ear their paddles chunkin' from Rangoon to Mandalay?
On the road to Mandalay,
Where the flyin'-fishes play,
An' the dawn comes up like thunder outer China 'crost the Bay! ( R Kipling)
It is interesting to note that the name Mandalay is one of the few not changed by the regime – they changed the name of Burma to that of Myanmar – just like in nineteen Eight-four – trying to wipe out the past and re-write history.
Secret Histories – is part literary criticism, part travelogue – I found Emma Larkin to be great company. She was a lone woman traveller in a part of the world wary and suspicious at best of foreign visitors – yet she shows no fear. She is careful to protect the identities of the people she meets. These people are wonderful, chatty and book loving. These people are only too aware of the truths that are hidden from them – they have their own ways of deciphering what is really going on by looking for what is missing from the government’s newspaper. Larkin’s affection for Burma and its people is obvious, combining this the way she has with a close examination of Orwell’s work is fascinating and utterly compelling.
September 25, 2007
Prior to reading this I knew very little about Burma. I knew that they had human rights problems, they wanted to be called Myanmar, and that George Orwell spent some time there. That's about it.
I picked the book up totally on a whim one day in Borders and I am very glad I did. This is a beautiful book that frames the history of Burma with the story of Orwell's days there. It is essentially a travelogue. The author journeys to important points of interest from Orwell's "Burmese Days".
During he trip she parallels Orwell's Burma with the Myanmar of today. It is a melancholy story as the last 60 years have not been kind of this land. The people she meets have almost nothing, and very few even have hope left.
Those few provide a remarkable window into the human spirit and how important hope really is.
I highly recommend this to anyone wishing to learn more about this beleaguered corner of the world, George Orwell, or courage in even the most oppressive circumstances.
I picked the book up totally on a whim one day in Borders and I am very glad I did. This is a beautiful book that frames the history of Burma with the story of Orwell's days there. It is essentially a travelogue. The author journeys to important points of interest from Orwell's "Burmese Days".
During he trip she parallels Orwell's Burma with the Myanmar of today. It is a melancholy story as the last 60 years have not been kind of this land. The people she meets have almost nothing, and very few even have hope left.
Those few provide a remarkable window into the human spirit and how important hope really is.
I highly recommend this to anyone wishing to learn more about this beleaguered corner of the world, George Orwell, or courage in even the most oppressive circumstances.
August 21, 2013
I read this while headingto the Delta in Burma and after having finished Burmese Days... I really loved her readable style and could really feel her emotions and frustration about the situation in Burma. It's now 2 years after the democratic changes have started to come and I would love to know if its changed at all and what her collection of friends have to say about it all. I also felt cmpletely compelled to read and re-read George Orwell's other books and learn more about him after reading this - that's the mark of a good biographer!
January 9, 2023
Sebuah buku yang menjejak sosok Orwell di Burma. Orwell pernah menetap di Burma sekitar tahun 1920-an sebagai pegawai polis. Dalam buku ini, penulis melawat tempat-tempat yang pernah diduduki oleh Orwell(Mandalay, Delta, Rangoon, Moulmein, Katha). Sepanjang kunjungan penulis di Burma, penulis telah berinteraksi dengan warga Burma dari pelbagai lapisan dan juga dengan ahli-ahli "book club" di Burma. Buku-buku yang dibincangkan tertumpu kepada buku Burmese day, Animal Farm & 1984. (Buku Burmese day & 1984 lebih menjadi tumpuan perbincangan kerana berkaitan dengan situasi di Burma). Sesetengah peminat karya Orwell di Burma menggelarkan beliau sebagai "The Prophet".
Buku ini boleh dikatakan merangkumi semua aspek negara Burma: Politik, ekonomi & sosial. Dalam keadaan pemerintahan yang tidak stabil di Burma, rata-rata ahli "book club" Burma menganggap mereka hidup dalam realiti buku 1984 di mana segala kebebasan di sekat oleh pemerintah. Buku Animal Farm & 1984 diharamkan di Burma, tetapi sebelum diharamkan Animal Farm adalah satu-satunya karya Orwell yang diterjemahkan ke bahasa Burma. Pebincangan penulis lebih tertumpu kepada keadaan politik di Burma. Rata-rata warga Burma takut untuk bersuara dan mengkritik pemerintah. Jika ditangkap boleh dikenakan hukuman yang berat. Untuk memantau rakyatnya, pemerintah memasang mata-mata di serata tempat seperti "thought police" dalam buku 1984. Ini menyebabkan rakyat burma sentiasa berwaspada dalam percakapan dan tidakan serta berinteraksi dengan warga asing. Sebagai maklumat tambahan dalam buku ini, selepas Burma mencapai kemerdekaan, semua nama jalan dan tempat yang berkaitan dengan kolonial British di tukar ke bahasa Burma untuk menghilangkan jejak-jejak dan identiti penjajah.
Dalam temubual penulis dengan penduduk setempat tentang ekonomi dan pendidikan rata-rata warga Burma menyatakan sistem pendidikan Burma adalah kucar-kacir dan pemerintah tidak mengambil berat tentang pendidikan. Pemerintah di lihat cuba untuk menyekat perkembangan intelektual rakyat. Dari segi ekonomi pula, kesan dari pemerintahan yang tidak stabil, rata-rata rakyat Burma berpendapatan rendah dan rasuah berleluasa terutamanya dalam jabatan kerajaan. Penulis juga menulis serba sedikit tentang kebangkitan 1988 di mana Au San Suu Kyi cuba diangkat menjadi pemimpin untuk meneruskan legasi ayahnya.
Secara kasarnya, buku ini menggabungkan autobiografi George Orwell, Travelog, sejarah, sistem politik, ekonomi & sosial di Burma semasa penulis mengumpul maklumat untuk menulis buku ini.
Buku ini boleh dikatakan merangkumi semua aspek negara Burma: Politik, ekonomi & sosial. Dalam keadaan pemerintahan yang tidak stabil di Burma, rata-rata ahli "book club" Burma menganggap mereka hidup dalam realiti buku 1984 di mana segala kebebasan di sekat oleh pemerintah. Buku Animal Farm & 1984 diharamkan di Burma, tetapi sebelum diharamkan Animal Farm adalah satu-satunya karya Orwell yang diterjemahkan ke bahasa Burma. Pebincangan penulis lebih tertumpu kepada keadaan politik di Burma. Rata-rata warga Burma takut untuk bersuara dan mengkritik pemerintah. Jika ditangkap boleh dikenakan hukuman yang berat. Untuk memantau rakyatnya, pemerintah memasang mata-mata di serata tempat seperti "thought police" dalam buku 1984. Ini menyebabkan rakyat burma sentiasa berwaspada dalam percakapan dan tidakan serta berinteraksi dengan warga asing. Sebagai maklumat tambahan dalam buku ini, selepas Burma mencapai kemerdekaan, semua nama jalan dan tempat yang berkaitan dengan kolonial British di tukar ke bahasa Burma untuk menghilangkan jejak-jejak dan identiti penjajah.
Dalam temubual penulis dengan penduduk setempat tentang ekonomi dan pendidikan rata-rata warga Burma menyatakan sistem pendidikan Burma adalah kucar-kacir dan pemerintah tidak mengambil berat tentang pendidikan. Pemerintah di lihat cuba untuk menyekat perkembangan intelektual rakyat. Dari segi ekonomi pula, kesan dari pemerintahan yang tidak stabil, rata-rata rakyat Burma berpendapatan rendah dan rasuah berleluasa terutamanya dalam jabatan kerajaan. Penulis juga menulis serba sedikit tentang kebangkitan 1988 di mana Au San Suu Kyi cuba diangkat menjadi pemimpin untuk meneruskan legasi ayahnya.
Secara kasarnya, buku ini menggabungkan autobiografi George Orwell, Travelog, sejarah, sistem politik, ekonomi & sosial di Burma semasa penulis mengumpul maklumat untuk menulis buku ini.
August 8, 2019
Eric Blair prima di diventare George Orwell è stato, tra le altre cose, poliziotto della Polizia Imperiale Birmana. Il che, per un uomo che era figlio di un alto funzionario imperiale anglo-indiano e del quale gran parte della famiglia aveva legami con le colonie in generale e con la Birmania in particolare, non era una cosa del tutto sorprendente.
Blair, però, finì col dimettersi, perché profondamente turbato da quell’esperienza, in un’entità politica che si andava pian piano sgretolando. Tornato in patria, diventò George Orwell e sappiamo tutti come è andata. Sappiamo anche che la Birmania (che nel frattempo non fa più parte dell’Impero Britannico e si chiama Myanmar) rimarrà sempre presente nella letteratura di Orwell.
Emma Larkin in questo saggio fa anche un passo in più: e se la realtà del Myanmar attuale fosse molto più vicina al mondo distopico di 1984 e de La fattoria degli animali rispetto a quanto si possa immaginare?
Larkin si muove negli stessi scenari in cui ha vissuto Orwell e di cui ha scritto, rendendoci una realtà nella quale c’è un regime che sa tutto di tutto, osserva tutti, ascolta. È difficile capire chi sia una spia del regime e chi sia contro, chi sia un infiltrato e chi no. È una vita ipercontrollata senza possibilità di libertà di pensiero, quella dei birmani, dove in effetti il timore di essere sempre controllati funge da repellente contro ogni possibile pensiero di ribellione contro il regime.
È appassionante il tour della scrittrice, i personaggi (veri, anche se potrebbero essere usciti da un romanzo) che incontra mano a mano e che raccontano come sia vivere in Myanmar. Alla fine, il paragone regge: sembra che Orwell abbia previsto come sarebbe stata la vita in quella parte del mondo.
Molto attento nelle ricostruzioni e incredibilmente vivo, il racconto si incarta un po’ nel finale, forse perché la routine di ricostruzione degli eventi, tra vita di Orwell ed esplorazione della realtà birmana viene portata avanti sempre seguendo delle linee guida replicabili.
L’unico vero punto che stona un po’ è Aung Saan Suu Kyi. Quando Larkin (anche questo è uno pseudonimo, tra l’altro) finisce la prima edizione del libro è il 2005 e Aung Saan Suu Kyi non è ancora libera. Nel libro, come nelle testimonianze riportate della popolazione, ovviamente è un po’ vista come la grande speranza del Paese. A posteriori sappiamo come è andata e le controversie circa la figura della stessa Aung Saan che stanno nascendo in questi anni - se vogliamo, nel libro ci possono anche essere delle linee guida sulla lettura di tali posizioni. In ogni caso, è un dettaglio che rende abbastanza anacronistici alcuni passaggi.
Per il resto: una bella lettura.
Blair, però, finì col dimettersi, perché profondamente turbato da quell’esperienza, in un’entità politica che si andava pian piano sgretolando. Tornato in patria, diventò George Orwell e sappiamo tutti come è andata. Sappiamo anche che la Birmania (che nel frattempo non fa più parte dell’Impero Britannico e si chiama Myanmar) rimarrà sempre presente nella letteratura di Orwell.
Emma Larkin in questo saggio fa anche un passo in più: e se la realtà del Myanmar attuale fosse molto più vicina al mondo distopico di 1984 e de La fattoria degli animali rispetto a quanto si possa immaginare?
Larkin si muove negli stessi scenari in cui ha vissuto Orwell e di cui ha scritto, rendendoci una realtà nella quale c’è un regime che sa tutto di tutto, osserva tutti, ascolta. È difficile capire chi sia una spia del regime e chi sia contro, chi sia un infiltrato e chi no. È una vita ipercontrollata senza possibilità di libertà di pensiero, quella dei birmani, dove in effetti il timore di essere sempre controllati funge da repellente contro ogni possibile pensiero di ribellione contro il regime.
È appassionante il tour della scrittrice, i personaggi (veri, anche se potrebbero essere usciti da un romanzo) che incontra mano a mano e che raccontano come sia vivere in Myanmar. Alla fine, il paragone regge: sembra che Orwell abbia previsto come sarebbe stata la vita in quella parte del mondo.
Molto attento nelle ricostruzioni e incredibilmente vivo, il racconto si incarta un po’ nel finale, forse perché la routine di ricostruzione degli eventi, tra vita di Orwell ed esplorazione della realtà birmana viene portata avanti sempre seguendo delle linee guida replicabili.
L’unico vero punto che stona un po’ è Aung Saan Suu Kyi. Quando Larkin (anche questo è uno pseudonimo, tra l’altro) finisce la prima edizione del libro è il 2005 e Aung Saan Suu Kyi non è ancora libera. Nel libro, come nelle testimonianze riportate della popolazione, ovviamente è un po’ vista come la grande speranza del Paese. A posteriori sappiamo come è andata e le controversie circa la figura della stessa Aung Saan che stanno nascendo in questi anni - se vogliamo, nel libro ci possono anche essere delle linee guida sulla lettura di tali posizioni. In ogni caso, è un dettaglio che rende abbastanza anacronistici alcuni passaggi.
Per il resto: una bella lettura.
July 18, 2007
Emma Larkin - a pseudonym for an American journalist living in Bangkok who hypothesizes that George Orwell's Animal Farm and 1984 were set in Burma (and not the Soviet Union). After all Burmese Days his first book, and his last novella (untitled) which he wrote upon his death bed, were both set in Burma. He lived there for 5 years as an Imperial policeman and of course, also wrote the beautiful short story Shooting an Eleplant. I'm a big Orwell fan. I was so excited to read this book and she does make a very strong case. - "Why would we need to read 1984 (on the book being banned in Burma), we LIVE 1984" says one old man she interviewed. Yes, she makes a very compelling case, because she takes us through her Burma, painted as an Orwellian State, and she gives us so many vivid and specific details to prove her point, but as I'm prepping for my trip to Burma, now, I am not so sure myself. I don't want to believe her. People know so little about Burma and what we do know, we know from CNN - Aung San Suu Kyi's ongoing house arrest, the human rights abuses, the military regime seemingly randomly moving their capital into the middle of the jungle - enough to make us think "What really does go on in that country". But I'm optimist and I'm convinced there are many other sides to Burma, stories that need to be told, the beautiful Burma, it's grand history, its Colonial past, its fleeting moment with democracy, the forgotten Monarchy, the temples of Pagan, surely there's so very much to be told about this country than just about being an Orwellian State.
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July 16, 2021Pretty much anything about Myanmar is bound to pique my interest, and Larkin's travelogue was no exception. Granted, if you've read much about Myanmar before, and especially if you've actually been, you're not going to find that many surprises. It's mostly just a recapitulation of shit you know about already, as the stories of wise, witty Burmese people confronting their complete hopelessness is something you encounter time and time again, both in the books about Myanmar and in an actual visit (my own memories of green tea with a Shan princess, for instance, come to mind). However, it's quite a well-written travelogue, and if you don't know much about the country, it's a pretty good introduction.
May 31, 2015
Larkin (a pseudonym to protect her Burmese contacts), explores the places George Orwell, product of empire, worked during his posting in Burma, tying these experiences closely to both Burmese Days and his subsequent work. The Burmese, for their part, regard Orwell as both an obnoxious colonialist and a prophet, joking that he wrote a prescient trilogy about Burma--adding Animal Farm and 1984.
November 11, 2019
A non fiction that is part travelogue, part literary overview of the works of George Orwell AND part commentary on the socio political journey of Burma (the name Myanmar is an imposition by the junta there), here’s a book you have to read if you are a fan of Orwell or been fascinated by his writings. It is a book that takes you behind the scenes of a country that has been presented as idyllic and puts you face to face with its oppressive surveillance.
Emma Larkin (a pseudonym of an American Journalist) traces the places and influences of Eric Arthur Blake better known as Orwell through Burma, a country he spent five years of his life as an officer in the then British administration and which inspired a majority of his writings. Through Larkin’s meetings and interactions with dissidents, academics and more important, the common men and women of the country, we are treated to an intimate look at Burma and its people and how Orwell’s writings well reflect the various stages of his own literary positioning: the push and pull between colonial rulers and natives in Burmese Days, the growing control by authoritarian forces in Animal Farm and the oppressive air aided by fear and monitoring in 1984. Apart from the three well-known works of Orwell, his essays and poetry too find a place in this book.
Emma Larkin (a pseudonym of an American Journalist) traces the places and influences of Eric Arthur Blake better known as Orwell through Burma, a country he spent five years of his life as an officer in the then British administration and which inspired a majority of his writings. Through Larkin’s meetings and interactions with dissidents, academics and more important, the common men and women of the country, we are treated to an intimate look at Burma and its people and how Orwell’s writings well reflect the various stages of his own literary positioning: the push and pull between colonial rulers and natives in Burmese Days, the growing control by authoritarian forces in Animal Farm and the oppressive air aided by fear and monitoring in 1984. Apart from the three well-known works of Orwell, his essays and poetry too find a place in this book.
July 26, 2021
พม่ามาถึงจุดนี้ได้ยังไง
เล่มนี้ก้พอให้คำตอบที่เห็นภาพได้ชัดพอสมควร
ถ่ายทอดภาพรวมของความระยำในทุกมิติ ของเผด็จการทหาร โดยทำให้สนุกและน่าสนใจผ่าน ชีวิตของจอร์จ ออร์เวล + การเชื่อมโยงวรรณกรรมเกร็ดเล็กเกร็ดน้อย ภาษาสละสลวย
ที่ชิบคือเอาถ่ายทอดบทพูดของประชาชนชาวพม่า ได้ดี ทั้ง จริงใจ ทั้งแฝงด้วยความกลัว
และอดเปรียบเทียบกับบ้านตัวเองไม่ได้
ปล. ออเวล เคยทำงานเป็นตำรวจที่พม่าเมื่อเกือบ100ปีที่แล้วครับ
เล่มนี้ก้พอให้คำตอบที่เห็นภาพได้ชัดพอสมควร
ถ่ายทอดภาพรวมของความระยำในทุกมิติ ของเผด็จการทหาร โดยทำให้สนุกและน่าสนใจผ่าน ชีวิตของจอร์จ ออร์เวล + การเชื่อมโยงวรรณกรรมเกร็ดเล็กเกร็ดน้อย ภาษาสละสลวย
ที่ชิบคือเอาถ่ายทอดบทพูดของประชาชนชาวพม่า ได้ดี ทั้ง จริงใจ ทั้งแฝงด้วยความกลัว
และอดเปรียบเทียบกับบ้านตัวเองไม่ได้
ปล. ออเวล เคยทำงานเป็นตำรวจที่พม่าเมื่อเกือบ100ปีที่แล้วครับ
August 12, 2019
關於緬甸，關於一個極權政府，關於封鎖與掩蓋消息及訊息管控如何傷害一個國家，還有關於誰也逃不過……
June 28, 2024
I started my Orwell excursion when I stumbled upon The Orwell Tour and Burma Sahib while in Wales. Beginning in May I read Burning Down George Orwell's House, followed by Land of Green Ghosts for a background on Burma. I then read Burmese Days, Burma Sahib, The Orwell Tour, and this book. I thought I was through with Orwell for now, but I discovered the newish novels Julia and Wifedom, on the 1984 character and Orwell's first wife, respectively. What a long, strange trip...
December 20, 2017
A very readable "political travelogue" from a writer who has followed the political situation in Burma very closely. Burma for a long time has been ruled by a military junta that suppresses free speech and thought, denouncing any criticism of its one-party military rule. Larkin interviews many brave souls through whom we learn the most about the state of the country, one whose history is being constantly erased. Larkin retraces Orwell's early career as an imperial soldier in the country, constantly questioning Orwell's motivations for choosing to be in Burma as a young man in the first place. The complications surrounding British colonialism, the independence movement post WWII, and the subsequent failed socialism, leave a haunting legacy in this repressed country who inhabitants make an average of the equivalent of a few US dollars per month.
A worthy introduction to Burmese political history, and motivates one to get more in-depth on its history and culture.
A worthy introduction to Burmese political history, and motivates one to get more in-depth on its history and culture.
March 12, 2015
Orwell's "Burmese Days" is an all time favorite book of mine, so any material that explores this wonderful classic further would definitely be fascinating for me. The country exudes a certain mystique, not just because it has been closed off from the world for so long, but also because of its very rich history, unique culture, and dramatic natural environment teeming with wildlife, or at least it used to! The book is a travelogue that investigates the various places George Orwell had been posted to during his highly formative years as a young policeman doing the 'dirty work of empire', as he put it so bluntly himself. Though the physical remnants of those places are almost entirely gone after decades of neglect following the second world war and military dictatorship, the acclaimed author's name is still remembered by many due to his three books that turned out to be highly prophetic (the other two being "Animal Farm" and "1984", in that sequence), paralleling the country's transition from an outpost of the British Raj to a totalitarian state following a military coup in the 1960s.
The author also interviews many locals about the political and personal oppression under the military rulers, who spend an unbelievable amount of time and energy monitoring its citizens through a network of informers, and censoring every word before its publication. Interrogation and imprisonment for the slightest deemed offense is routine, and so everyone lives in constant fear, putting on a mask in public. While the country has since opened up, with the lifting of embargoes and restrictions by the West and more political and media freedom, the military junta seems to be still very much in charge behind the scenes, while riots and suppression of ethnic minorities remain a common occurrence. Where during the time this book was written the country suffered from gross neglect for lack of resources, its cities and historic buildings are now being bulldozed to make way for malls and office towers. How much of this influx of foreign investment will benefit the common folk is an unknown, but I suspect most of the money will be channeled to the political elite of the military regime, who continue to hold the reigns of power.
The author also interviews many locals about the political and personal oppression under the military rulers, who spend an unbelievable amount of time and energy monitoring its citizens through a network of informers, and censoring every word before its publication. Interrogation and imprisonment for the slightest deemed offense is routine, and so everyone lives in constant fear, putting on a mask in public. While the country has since opened up, with the lifting of embargoes and restrictions by the West and more political and media freedom, the military junta seems to be still very much in charge behind the scenes, while riots and suppression of ethnic minorities remain a common occurrence. Where during the time this book was written the country suffered from gross neglect for lack of resources, its cities and historic buildings are now being bulldozed to make way for malls and office towers. How much of this influx of foreign investment will benefit the common folk is an unknown, but I suspect most of the money will be channeled to the political elite of the military regime, who continue to hold the reigns of power.
July 6, 2009
When I first started researching Burma, I tried to start with Burma: The Curse of Independence (see my bookshelf for another review) but couldn't get into it at first because it was so mind-boggling to keep track of the many peoples, languages, and organization acronyms that co-exist with Burma's borders. I needed a toe-hold on the country first. Larkin's book gave me the overview on the history and the current situation in Burma which allowed me to make sense of Burma: The Curse of Independence (which I read afterwards).
Besides this overview, the most compelling thing I found about Larkin's book was her experience of learning how to pass as a Western tourist (instead of a reporter) through the country, and the stories she heard from those Burmese people she spoke with who offered their stories of quiet resistance. The text is focused almost entirely on the plight of the Burmese people and only occasionally comes up on the borders between the ethnic Burmese and the many other distinct ethnicities who live in the country. This is due, in part, to the author's restrictions (passing as a Western tourist, speaking only Burmese and none of the other local languages) but is also due to the direct action of the military junta in power. It is the history of the Burmese people that is the history that matters, skewed through the iron control of censorship as it may be. Reading this book first helped me get a sense of the overall picture -- the things said and the things unsaid -- while Burma: The Curse of Independence helped fill in some of the blanks.
Besides this overview, the most compelling thing I found about Larkin's book was her experience of learning how to pass as a Western tourist (instead of a reporter) through the country, and the stories she heard from those Burmese people she spoke with who offered their stories of quiet resistance. The text is focused almost entirely on the plight of the Burmese people and only occasionally comes up on the borders between the ethnic Burmese and the many other distinct ethnicities who live in the country. This is due, in part, to the author's restrictions (passing as a Western tourist, speaking only Burmese and none of the other local languages) but is also due to the direct action of the military junta in power. It is the history of the Burmese people that is the history that matters, skewed through the iron control of censorship as it may be. Reading this book first helped me get a sense of the overall picture -- the things said and the things unsaid -- while Burma: The Curse of Independence helped fill in some of the blanks.
June 18, 2014
In Emma Larkin's memoir Finding George Orwell in Burma Larkin hopes to discover more about Orwell by retracing Orwell's 5 years of service in the Imperial Police Force when he was stationed in Burma. With a battered copy of Orwell's Burmese Days Larkin discovers a Burma exploited in the past by colonial Britain and currently (published in 2004) being terrorized by one of the world's most brutal dictatorships.
With insight and honesty Larkin shows us the dignity and grace of the Burmese people as they try to circumvent a century of political upheaval - a must read for those trying to understand the events dictating our 21st century world.
With insight and honesty Larkin shows us the dignity and grace of the Burmese people as they try to circumvent a century of political upheaval - a must read for those trying to understand the events dictating our 21st century world.
January 20, 2020
A literary travelogue and social history of Burma, this topic had potential, and Larkin is very qualified to write this book, being a fluent speaker of Burmese. But it is still a crap book. Turns out well-qualified people are not necessarily good writers. Larkin's prose is stale and clunky. She transitions haphazardly from one topic to the next without warning. She also has a tendency to narrate everything that happened, whether it means anything or not. I don't think she really knows what her book is about; she seems to frequently not have decided. Orwell pops up too, but usually in random, meaningless ways.
June 24, 2017
Really fascinating look at the extreme totalitarian world that the Burmese live under. I just finished rereading 1984, and I was glad that I had because the parallels between Oceania of Orwell's novel and modern Myanmar are just astounding. Orwell was using the Soviet Union as his model, but he definitely described certain aspects of Burma accurately which just goes to show that totalitarian regimes will be much the same, regardless of the country they are ruling. The despair and hopelessness of the Burmese people that Larkin encountered over and over was heartrending.
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