Long before George Orwell wrote "Animal Farm" and "1984" — and long before he was even George Orwell — Eric Blair was a nineteen-year-old policeman in Burma serving the British Raj. Biographies skirt over this five year period, in part due to the absence of letters and diaries, but it was the making of the writer he became.
As George Orwell wrote, 'There is a short period in everyone's life when his character is fixed forever ...' For me, the short twelve months I worked for TOTAL - Compagnie Française des Pétroles in what was then called Rangoon in what was then called Burma was one of my most formative experiences which I have never forgotten. I was asked to stay on longer, and I should have stayed on longer, and I have always regretted not to have stayed on longer. Life is full of such regrets.
Of course, since those formative days I have read Orwell's "Burmese Days" and Emma Larkin's fascinating political travelogue "Finding George Orwell in Burma", so when I heard that another favourite author of mine, Paul Theroux, had written yet another fascinating, atmospheric novel inspired by George Orwell's years in Burma, I searched for it and discovered "Burma Sahib", released just months ago, in February 2024.
It's too soon to expect a pre-loved copy to appear on the shelves of my favourite op-shop, so I'm lashing out the thirty dollars for a brandnew copy. In the meantime, while I'm waiting for the book to arrive, I keep listening to a conversation with Paul Theroux about George Orwell and Burma and about reading and the life of a writer. I hope you enjoy it.
One down on my to-do list!
