Book Notes: "Books v. Cigarettes" by George Orwell

Books v. Cigarettes by George Orwell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Orwell is brilliant. My favourite quote: “Political writing of our time consists almost entirely of prefabricated phrases bolted together like the pieces of a child’s Meccano set. It is the unavoidable result of self-censorship. To write in plain, vigorous language one has to think fearlessly, and if one thinks fearlessly one cannot be politically orthodox”.



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Book Notes: "Burmese Days" by George Orwell

Burmese Days by George Orwell

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Brilliant. Explores the stupidity of racism that still exists today. Ends in a sad story that Hollywood could never accept. Makes politicking look like an absurd past-time for idiots. Proves one of Aesop's most prolific fables. Is Orwell really Hemingway's older brother who became a preacher? If only Animal Farm and 1984 had not received so much attention, we might have known the difference. Orwell (aka Eric Arthur Blair) was three years older than I am now when he died. He lived such a full life but I think I will need longer to even contemplate his experiences, let along learn from them or create my own. Orwell was so far ahead of his time I doubt the current vanilla generation even come close to understanding what he understood, let alone do anything to right current wrongs. He is the master and I must read more of his work.



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Book Notes: "Jean-Jacques Rousseau" by Leo Damrosch

Jean-Jacques Rousseau by Leo Damrosch

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


It is difficult to review this book without wanting to critique Rousseau rather than the biographer. I was so annoyed by Rousseau's life, as opposed to my reaction to his obvious genius in Reveries of a Solitary Walker, that I must admit to thinking that the book was rather bad. However, time seemed to speed up towards the end of Rousseau's story, and the biographer redeemed himself despite not having done anything poorly in the first place. In the latter parts of the book, the comparison with Benjamin Franklin is exceptional and puts into chronological perspective the Old and New Worlds. I must now read the Confessions and compare it to Franklin's Autobiography to make sense out of this account of Rousseau's life. I must admit to expecting more of the man, but he did not create the posthumous legend and cannot be blamed anymore than the biographer can be blamed for Rousseau's habits that had me annoyed to such an extent that it took me close to two years to finish the book.



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