“Time passed, and each year Flory found himself less at home in the world of the sahibs, more liable to get into trouble when he talked seriously on any subject whatever. He had learned to live inwardly, secretly, in books and thoughts that could not be uttered. Even his talks with the doctor were a kind of talking to himself.”

“In the end the secrecy of your revolt poisons you like a secret disease. Year after year you sit in Kipling haunted little Clubs, whisky to the right of you, listening and eagerly agreeing while Colonel Bodger develops his theory that these bloody Nationalists should be boiled in oil. You hear your oriental friends called 'greasy little babus', and you admit, dutifully, that they are greasy little babus.”

“The time comes when you burn with hatred for your own countrymen, when you long for a native rising to drown their empire in blood. In this there is nothing honourable, hardly even any sincerity. For what do you care if the Indian Empire is a despotism, if Indians are bullied and exploited? You are a creature of the despotism, a pukka sahib, tied tighter than a monk by an unbreakable system of tabus.”

“U Po Kyin had sent one of his anonymous letters to Mrs. Lackersteen, for he knew the power of European women. Dr. Veraswami, the letter said, was inciting the natives to abduct and rape the European women. U Po Kyin had touched Mrs. Lackersteen's weak spot. To her mind the words 'sedition', 'Nationalism', 'rebellion', 'Home Rule', conveyed one thing and one only, a picture of herself being raped by a procession of jet black coolies with rolling white eyeballs.”

"Do tell me some more about tiger shooting. It's so awfully interesting!" He described the shooting, years ago, of a mangy old man eater who had killed one of his coolies. The tiger's eyes approaching through the dark jungle, like great green lanterns; the panting, slobbering noise as he devoured the coolie's body. Flory told it all perfunctorily enough; did not the proverbial Anglo-Indian bore always talk about tiger shooting? But Elizabeth wriggled her shoulders delightedly.”

*************

George Orwell’s first novel in 1934 was based on his service in the Indian Imperial Police in Burma for five years from 1922 to 1927. This story describes a 1910 upcountry post, similar to what he had experienced, with a group of British functionaries and their families in a enclave supervising the extraction of wood, oil and other commodities. In the course of the novel we meet Flory, who went there at 20 like Orwell, and has a hatred of the Empire but is conflicted by his wish to remain and continue his business. He’s friends with an Indian doctor Veraswami, has a mistress Hla May, whom the colonists view askance. At the Club, a feature of all colonial communities, there is to be a vote on whether to allow a Burmese to join.

Other clubmembers, in particular Ellis, stir up a toxic brew of racism, opposing the idea proposed by MacGregor, the Club president and Deputy Commissioner. He follows orders of his superiors, in keeping with what other clubs did at the time, to allay the angers of indigenous professionals and prominent businessmen. What colonists don’t understand is that the insurrectionist postings in their local newspaper are being controlled by a local gangster U Po Kyin, to be blamed on the doctor, so as to replace his entry to the Club. Hla May secretly has an affair with Flory’s servant but she still sees a privilege in her association with the white community. Flory mistreats her and has his own contradictory wishes for a white woman.

Flory and his compatriots spend their days drinking from morning to nightime. Another article is printed condemning MacGregor attributed to the doctor as a means of stirring up the whites. Flory had promised to vote for him in the Club but signs a letter denouncing him instead, while recognizing his cowardice and complicity. Flory is a complex character who pursues Elizabeth, a newly arrived British woman half his age. She is possessed by a white superiority, aghast at the natives, but allows Flory to show her around the town and outlying bush, while suspicious of his fraternization with the locals. He takes her out hunting and she is thrilled by the prospect of shooting native birds and a leopard in the jungle, becoming closer to him.

As she gets acquainted with the local customs her disgust verges on anger. Hla May for her part has been thrown out of Flory’s household to make way for Elizabeth and begins to blackmail him. The slanders of U Po against the Indian doctor Veraswamy continue, accusing him of rape, murder, corruption and sedition. The portrayal of the colonists betray a certain naïveté in contrast to their confidence of race. When Elizabeth learns of Flory’s relationship with Hla May she cuts short a budding bethrothal. A young Military Police cavalry man Verrall comes to town from Rangoon to put down the rebellion. Elizabeth and her aunt turn their attentions to this supercilious son of a peer, while dreaming of a marriage.

Flory returns from his logging camp in the jungle with futile dreams of winning back Elizabeth. When the absurdity of this becomes apparent he spirals into a maelstrom of discontent. The rebellion is quashed, which consisted of seven villagers with homemade guns, and U Po takes credit for rescuing the post. Ellis in a fit of bigoted rage blinds a boy with a bamboo cane and a crowd of a thousand Burmese assail the Club. Flory floats down the Irrawaddy River to get help from the Military Police and is swept up inside of the conflict. For all the horror in this novel of the snobby British and servile Burmese, Orwell maintains a level of humor both outrageous and cynical. The character of Flory can easily be perceived as Orwell’s.

Verrall leaves town for Mandalay without saying farewell to Elizabeth or anyone else, and leaving his bills unpaid. When Flory returns from his logging camp he is hailed as a hero. He had commandeered the military police and ordered them to shoot over the rioters heads. The doctor’s chances of joining the Club had grown and U Po thwarted in his attempt to discredit him. Elizabeth and her aunt have been forced to reconsider their idea of which man might make an eligible bachelor. As a snapshot of life on an upriver post in pre-war Burma this book is probably as accurate as can be had, told by a writer who experienced it, with a firm grasp of human nature in all of its foibles. And yet there still lingered the question of Hla May to be resolved.

Hard to rate or write a review of this one. Orwell is of course the author of two of the most important books of the 20th century. I have had this one for a while and only recently chose to read it after the recent atrocities happening in Myanmar as I write.

I spent two weeks in Burma (Myanmar) in 2008, so I feel pain over what is happening there now, but also curiosity as to how it may have been in the 1920s as Orwell's book is based.

I found the narrative troubling at best, the constant use of 'nigger' by some of the Europeans to describe the native Burmese to start with. The British attitude of superiority is gobsmacking in today's world, but that is obviously how it was. Our 'hero' Flory seems to at least appreciate Burma and the Burmese, but most of the others were abysmal, including Elizabeth, recently arrived as a single woman after her parents died and made to live with her horrible Aunt and Uncle.

As much as I appreciated the quality of writing, the story itself is troubling at best and downright depressing throughout.

Only for the keen and strong hearted.

داستان کتاب روزهای برمه در امپراطوری برمه و زمانی رخ میده که این کشور تحت استعمار بریتانیا قرار داره. داستان با توصیف حال و اوضاع یک قاضی بومی شروع میشه که یاد گرفته چطوری با رشوه و دسیسه چینی خودش رو بالا بکشه و الان در حال پاپوش درست کردن برای یک دکتر هندی هست. این کار به همین راحتی نیست چرا که دکتر هندی دوست صمیمی یک بریتانیایی به نام فلوری هست و خب دوستی با انگلیسی‌ها از همه چیز مهمتره. قسمت اعظم کتاب به زندگی فلوری پرداخته که کمی از بقیه انگلیسی‌ها روشنفکر تر هست و به همین دلیل هم با دکتر هندی دوسته. یک داستان انتقادی که با توصیف اعمال و طرز فکر افراد داخل داستان زشتی و پلیدی خیلی از اونها رو به رخ می‌کشه. از دو کتاب معروف اورول یعنی مزرعه حیوانات و ۱۹۸۴ ضعیف‌تره اما به نظر من ارزش خوندن داره.ه

I like Orwell's politics and vision. It is amazing to see how far he has gone in exposing 'untruths' and fighting 'injustices. 'Throughout his life, he remained steadfast in his politics. This makes him an admirable figure. We need writers like him even more today, but I wonder if there is any scope for such a man especially in First World countries where one does not know who Big Brothers and Winstons are; maybe they have merged into one entity, making the world even more intriguing than it ever has been.

'Burmese Days' shows us the man who is fighting injustice in whatsoever form it presents itself. Here the setting is British Rule in the subcontinent, and the reader sees how they exert power over the natives. One among the English, John Flory, fights the dubious practices of the rulers in everyday matters, For instance, the English men at club oppose an Indian doctor's membership to the club, Flory fights his colleagues.

So one sees two kinds of English men in colonies; the majority that exploits the 'natives' and a minuscule number of English men who defends the rights of the natives. Indeed, a perfect arrangement. I guess until we have people, groups, nations who are in a position to help 'others' we are in a terrible place because such a situation arises out of inequalities in the first place. For instances, in Nordic countries it is not that one rich man is helping 50 others just out pity; such gestures of 'help' are often seen in more primitive societies, where such a helper and his ancestors must have built their riches by exploiting the majority population.

So while one admires people who try to bring injustices down, but very often they are more or less come from the same class. And no matter how honest they are, they are never wholly saintly, their own prejudices and complicity leak in unguarded moments. Flory, a friend of Indian doctor and great champion of equality and so forth, is once seen loathing his orderly who spoke to him in English (Here, we see his snobbery first hand; I am not sure, though, if this was intentional, or could this be Orwell himself, by default, showing his own prejudices). On one level, Flory's claims to righteousness are fundamentally problematic, after all, he works for the British Raj.

The second time I read this novel, I was not looking for how one good man is fighting for the rights of the others (an admirable thing, though, but an ideal situation in human life does not produce them, there is no scope for them). I was actually studying the good man himself. What is it that makes him? How come he fights the system? Are the reasons often given only embedded in goodness? Or is it just a way of exerting power from the other end?

Each time I read about modern day activists, the so-called good guys, I always wonder would they still remain good if whatever they fight vanishes. Would an Indian Brahmin, who claims to fight caste in India, really be at ease in caste-less society? Would someone like Orwell, who fought against colonialism, be glad to love in today's world where England is not what it used to be? Or would he, then, resent 'democracy'? As a reader, I cannot help myself asking these questions.

Or Like many, he would also resent 'democracy' today. It is these questions I cannot help thinking while reading 'Burmese Days.'

I tend to hold back a bit when it comes to reviewing books chalked up as ‘classics’ since behind every classic book is a classic author with an inevitable legion of fans convinced every word they penned was solid gold. When it comes to George Orwell, my brother is one of these people and was therefore delighted to lend me his copy of Burmese Days, assuring me how good it is. I’ve read a touch of Orwell before - his most famous works, 1984 and Animal Farm - and been impressed with the ideas but generally bored by the plot. Burmese Days did not buck this trend, except for the fact that I found the ideas rather uncompelling (contrary to the previous two books) once they’d been laid down and left to be restated again and again as the plot kept trundling on.

And trundle it did. For a book totalling only 300 pages, I felt like I spent a great long stretch in early 20th century Burma. Echoing the monotonous, isolated living of the British colonials, the story doesn’t really start going anywhere until past the halfway point. The reader knows that U Po Kyin is plotting something behind the scenes. There’s probably going to be a civilian rebellion at some point. The arrival of Elizabeth can’t spell anything good. But the plot only actually kicks off a sizeable way into the book. I was so lulled into the rhythm of floating like a dinghy adrift on calm seas that when things did happen, I often read past them and it only registered a moment later as, “Wait, what?”. To the book’s credit, clearly the point was not to tell an adventure story about a group of rag-tag colonials. It’s a story of ideas, like everything I’ve previously read of Orwell’s.

The main point expressed is the general racist attitudes towards the natives by the colonials. Through the eyes of Flory, the only one in the bunch who accepts natives as, if not equals, actually human, Orwells commentates the general absurdness of their attitudes. In this, his style can’t be faulted. Orwell has a skill for making a point with explicitly stating it. Through Flory’s only gentle inclination against racism, the other Europeans are cast into a shady, loutish and, ironically, uncivilised light, contrasting with the general goodness of some of the natives, such as Dr Veraswami. Equally, through far less savoury Burmese characters such as U Po Kyin, a non verbalised acknowledgement is given to the breadth of ‘Oriental’ character being as wide as that amongst the Europeans. In contrast with other books from the same period that dip their toes into the vast ocean of race and nationality, it was a relief to see the Burmese regarded by the author, even if not by the characters, as human beings.

As for the other human beings of the novel, well, this is one of the areas where it fell down for me. Arguably, Flory is the main character, since much of the story is told through his rather weak-willed viewpoint. To begin with, I had a lot of sympathy for his character, presented as he is as a basically good man surrounded by a bad lot. He’s introspective, disparaging of those whose society he must keep (I felt the same about the rest of the Club, so that definitely tugged my support in his favour) and a generally pretty dissatisfied man. I liked him. And then Elizabeth arrives.

Elizabeth. What can I say about Elizabeth that’s not expletives or sighing. Elizabeth comes to Flory as a ray of light in the dismal grey of his life. He has such plans for how their life is going to be. He has Elizabeth all mapped out with the role she’ll play in his future life. Unfortunately, her real-life personality is far from fitting with the curious, broad-minded woman to share his troubles with that Flory desires. Yet still, since marriage prospects are thin on the ground, he continues to pursue her, overlooking all her obvious (many, glaring, unforgivable) flaws. This was where my love of Flory went Earth’s-core-bound. I can understand why he was like that about Elizabeth. She’s hateful, but he needs someone and really anyone will do at this point. Yet I still cannot quite forgive him for the lapse in judgement because … ELIZABETH. Gosh, Flory, really? I would have preferred Ellis. Ellis is a bastard, but at least he’s a thorough and consistent bastard. Elizabeth’s attitude to Flory, to basically dislike him, kind of like him, lose interest in him, like him again, loathe him, made me angry at the both of them.

The character I probably should have loathed but didn’t (although I never get that feeling with Orwell’s work that characters are separated into the simplistic two columns: ‘to like’ and ‘to hate’.) U Po Kyin. Although technically villainous, U Po Kyin cuts a rather jolly, Budai figure in my mind. With his constant schemings yet plan to reach Nirvana by building a lot of pagodas just before he dies, he comes across as almost comical. I don’t think this was intentional. The reader is probably meant to marvel at the hypocrisy of such a corrupt individual. Yet I didn’t. I actually like U Po Kyin. By the end, he was possibly my favourite (after Flo, the dog. Don’t start me on how things worked out for her, okay? I’m not ready.).

I’ll end with the end. Oh, Orwell. You just can’t let your characters be happy, can you? I know, I know, in real life people don’t get happy endings and his books are making poignant social and political points, I get it. But did everyone have to be so royally screwed over? It leaves me kind of dissatisfied when I’ve followed a cast of characters through three hundred pages of their lives and then the last few pages finish with: X ended up with this horrible life circumstance, Y finished his days unhappy and alone. Oh, except Elizabeth. For Elizabeth, everything turns out peachy. Typical.

This is Orwell's first novel (published in 1934). Its satirical stereotypes make for potentially uncomfortable reading in today's politically correct world and yet to concentrate on this aspect is to miss both the point of the novel and Orwell's brilliant prose.

The setting of 'Burmese Days' (1926 in Burma) is in the period when the influence of the British Empire is waning in Asia but is not yet moribund. It is a period where codes of conduct, of 'proper' behaviour (or, at least the boundaries within which improper behaviour are acceptable) are rigid and largely unquestioned. In short, it is a setting which is tailor-made for Orwell's particular writing skills.

The novel itself is brief (less than 200 pages), is completely non-discriminatory in its use of stereotypes (in that stereotyping is applied universally) and while dated in some ways is as relevant today as it was when it was written.

I had not read this novel before and now that I have, I will be looking to renew my acquaintance with Orwell (through 'Animal Farm' and 'Nineteen Eighty-Four') as well as to read those novels not previously read.

Highly recommended to those who've not yet read this particular novel of Orwell's as well as to those who would like a satirical insight into colonialism.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

Set in colonoial Burma, Burmese Days, is a wonderful portrait, and scathing criticism of the English Empire. Orwell uses the character of Flory, an Englishman trapped in the lonely life of an exile in Burma, to voice his own criticism of English colonialism. Orwell's ideas seem remarkably modern considering that this was written earlyish in the twentieth century. A thoroughly engaging read and one that will open the reader's eyes at the same time. I wonder how this was received at the time of publication?

Upgrading this to a 5. Again, I should have reviewed it when I read it, but there was no Internet connection worth the candle in Myanmar (Burma). It's sardonic Orwell through and through - there's an extent to which he always tells the same story - but the book balances humor and tragedy remarkably. And the atmosphere is perfect. A brilliant savage look at the last days of colonialism.

Excellent novel -- what an indictment of British colonialism! I have read 1984 and Animal Farm and I would have to say that Burmese Days is just as brilliant. Orwell's portrayal of Burma during colonial rule shows a world of racism, violence, loneliness, alcoholism, political corruption, and debauchery. The characters in the book are not very likeable but you have to sympathize with Flory who admires and socializes with the Burmese and tries to make the best of his situation in Burma. The rest of the characters are pretty despicable including the girl he falls for -- Elizabeth and her petty preferences and what she considers "beastly." Flory's colleagues at the Club are at best a bunch of lazy, drunken, racists -- especially Ellis. Orwell's uses of racial epithets by Ellis are very inflammatory but show the attitudes of the times. Overall, I would highly recommend this novel as one of the best to show a portrayal of life during colonial days and its negative effects.

I really liked this book. Another one that sucked me in. Very elegant writing, smooth narrative rhythm and very colourful way of bringing Burma to life.

I chose to read George Orwell's Burmese Days as the Myanmar stop on my Around the World in 80 Books challenge. I have very much enjoyed his fiction and non-fiction in the past, and was really looking forward to this, one of his earliest novels. Whilst Burmese Days is undoubtedly well written, I did not find it as engaging as I was expecting to. The novel is very of its time; there are so many racist remarks in here that it did not make for easy reading. I probably would have preferred it had a lot more emphasis been given, and more attention paid, to the setting. Burmese Days felt like a far more character-driven work than anything else. Whilst I did not read it all the way through this time around, I aim to come back to it at some point in future.

Frutto dell'esperienza birmana di Orwell, il romanzo traccia un quadro completo del nazionalismo inglese ai tempi del suo dominio. La voce solitaria di Flory sembra ergersi a condanna dei tanti soprusi perpetrati da connazionali meno aperti o tolleranti: per il resto si respira quel clima di sottomissione indigena e violenza da parte di chi detiene al potere di cui Orwell spesso narra nei suoi libri. Eppure, in questa storia dove l'Oriente sembra consumar le speranze a far naufragar i sogni di tutti, l'autore non sembra convincere fino in fondo. Superbo lo stile, buoni narrazione e intrecci, ma pare più di approcciarsi a un romanzo di Conrad o, al massimo, a un'edizione rivisitata di Passaggio in India. Ben scritto, ma imparagonabile ai grandi capolavori del buon signor Blair.