Finding George Orwell in Burma

By: Emma Larkin

Narrated by: Emily Durante

Over the years the American writer Emma Larkin has spent traveling in Burma, she has come to know all too well the many ways this police state can be described as "Orwellian". The life of the mind exists in a state of siege in Burma, and it long has. The connection between George Orwell and Burma is not simply metaphorical, of course; Orwell's mother was born in Burma, and he was shaped by his experiences there as a young man working for the British Imperial Police. Both his first novel, Burmese Days, and the novel he left unfinished upon his death were set in Burma. And then there is the place of Orwell's work in Burma today: Larkin found it a commonplace observation in Burma that Orwell did not write one book about the country but three - the other two being Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four. When Larkin quietly asked one Burmeseman if he knew the work of George Orwell, he stared blankly for a moment and then said, "Ah, you mean the prophet."

Finding George Orwell in Burma is the story of the year Larkin spent traveling across this shuttered police state, using the life and work of Orwell as her guide. Traveling 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 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 network of spies and informers.

©2010 Emma Larkin (P)2010 Tantor

Critic reviews

"[Larkin] comes across...as an inquisitive and trustworthy guide to the underlying reality of a country whose leaders would rather have outsiders focus only on their carefully constructed veneer." (Publishers Weekly)

Enlightening

I found this book a great listen as I was traveling through Burma myself, and would recommend it to others who may never make it to this country. It certainly puts things in perspective.
I also enjoyed the thread of Orwell’s books throughout, and learned quite a bit (as an engineering student I never managed to take college classes where such themes were discussed and I greatly enjoyed listening to the authors analysis of the unintentional trilogy of 1984, Animal Farm and Burmese Days)

Finding George Orwell in Burma

I really enjoyed listening to the book and finding more out about the country. I have an interest in the country because an uncle of mine lived there right after WWII and told me about the country and his experiences. His stories fascinated me. One of my daughters travelled there two years ago and added more stories of life in Burma.

I probably have more interest in the country than most people so really enjoyed learning more about it. Others probably wouldn't have the interest I have and may not enjoy the book as much.

Superb Myanmar stories

Having just returned from northern Thailand, and having crossed the border into Myanmar for a few hours, I was saddened to see the visible poverty in Myanmar. I lived in East Pakistan/Bangladesh as a young child with my family. I always wanted to visit Burma, our neighbor. Emma has done an outstanding job of capturing the various peoples of that country, the history, the conflicts, and the sources of those conflicts. I am astonished at her courage in exploring during a time of censorship and tyranny, and her ability to show us in the slap of a thigh, or a change of subject, all that cannot be said. By her following Orwell's time there, it gives us the ability to look at the pendulum of life in that country in the recent past and gauge it as it has swung into the present. Who would have thought Myanmar would still be slogging through many of the same troubles. The problems are complex. The cultural conflicts pronounced. I feel for this beautiful people, as we know their hearts seek peace and some level of fair infrastructure.
Bravo Emma. You have given us true insight on so many levels.

Great book. Awful 'automated' narration

This book was fascinating, but I almost gave up because of the lifeless automated narration of the reader, as well as multiple mispronunciations. Is it really that hard to find someone that can read?

Interesting history of Myanmar

This book was interesting, horrifying, and entertaining. I hope my own trip to Myanmar won’t be like this one.

Orwell's Horrors Brought to Life

This book has 3 intertwined themes: it’s part travelogue, describing the sights, sounds and smells of different parts of Burma; it’s part literary criticism, exploring the influence of Orwell’s experiences in Burma on his writing; and its main theme is using Orwell’s writings to illustrate the horrendous conditions in Burma today.

In expounding this main theme, Ms. Larkin draws out the eerie confluence of 3 factors: Orwell’s having worked in, and written about, Burma; his chilling novels about life under authoritarianism; and the realities of such rule in Burma today. Larkin does a good job of using Orwell’s writings to bring descriptions of life under authoritarian rule home on a personal level.

At times, the 3 themes get in the way of each other, but, at others, the contrasts between the natural beauty and current reality highlight Larkin’s descriptions of how bad things are.

Great Book

This book was absolutely excellent. It takes the reader on a trip through Burma while giving the information needed to empathize with the oppression that the Burmese face. It follows the path of George Orwell and frequently uses quotes from 1984 and Burmese Days.

Worth every penny-very good audio book

An unassuming and well written history/travel log with an unpremeditated chilling warning for all in these strange days.

Not what I expected

What did you love best about Finding George Orwell in Burma?

The characters were described vividly.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I don't think that the story could have been changed, it just didn't connect George Orwell and Burma in the way that the author had intended.

What does Emily Durante bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The accents of the Burmese people.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No.

An Expert on Burma and Orwell

Any additional comments?

I was impressed when the staff at the Katha Hotel in Katha, Burma said they knew Emma Larkin well. After all, she stayed there for about two years researching her subject. It's hard to beat a Burmese-speaking literary expert on this subject. And she weaves together the plight that is forever Burma into her research. I learned a lot about Orwell and Burma.