Down and Out in Paris and London, by George Orwell

Orwell describes this book, published in 1933, as a study in poverty. By this he means his own poverty while living as a young man in Paris and next in London. He does not explain the reasons for his plight, nor does he suggest how he ultimately extricates himself from the situation. This is effective: the focus falls solely on his own experiences within a particular span of time.  Presumably he is a struggling writer, because he mentions several writing assignments he has had in the past.  In Paris he is most concerned with finding work at a restaurant or hotel.  His goals aren’t high.  In London, after a period of unemployment, he finds work looking after what he refers to as a “moron.” As it turns out, Orwell deliberately placed himself in poverty-stricken environments during the late 1920s so that he could experience living in poverty; at points he actually did lack funds.  In any case, the narrator of this book is a semi-fictional version of the author.

Orwell’s descriptive powers are striking. His descriptions of the rooms he rents in Paris and the restaurant he works in, the flop houses where he stays in London, are vivid.  No one would eat at a Parisian restaurant after reading his account of the place where he worked as a dishwasher and errand boy. The flophouses where he stays in London in conditions of deplorable squalor seem straight out of the 18^th century. Numerous character portrayals occur throughout the book.

Although Orwell seems to be flirting during this period of his career with socialism or communism, he does not stress any particular viewpoint.  Instead he emphasizes the helpless plight of the poor, ignored by government, exploited by charities and religious groups that supposedly care for them, taken advantage of by anyone with more money or privilege.

Casual anti-semitism frequently surfaces.  Individuals may be referred to as “Jews” and are described with stereotypical Jewish characteristics.  One could write this off as the endemic anti-semitism of the times in which Orwell lived, though he did not resist expressing it.