This is Orwell's record of a period in the late Twenties when he lived among the tramps, dregs and plongeurs of London and Paris. 'It is the white-hot reaction of a sensitive observant, compassionate young man to poverty, injustice and the callousness of the rich ...It offers insights rather than solutions; but always insights have to precede solutions ...No one has ever claimed "Down and Out" is its author's best book, yet many of his admirers describe it as their favourite Orwell. Its flaws are numerous, but oddly endearing'.

Author Biography

George Orwell, real name Eric Blair, was born in 1903 in Bengal but educated at Eton. He served with the Indian Impreial Poice, and later came to Europe, doing a series of ill-paid jobs which led to his writing DOWN AND OUT IN PARIS AND LONDON. He fought in the Spanish Civl War the the Republicans, but in later years became disillusioned with the aims of Communism, which lead to the writing of his two magnificent political satires Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty Four. He died in 1950.