Burma Sahib, Paul Theroux
Burma Sahib, Paul Theroux
List: $39.99 | Sale: $28.00
Club: $19.99

Burma Sahib
A Novel

Author: Paul Theroux

Narrator: Charlie Anson

Unabridged: 17 hr 51 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Mariner Books

Published: 02/06/2024


Synopsis

Chosen by John Irving in the New York Times as One of the Best Books of the 21st Century“Paul Theroux has exploited this biographical lacuna with great shrewdness and gusto… his fictional account of Blair’s life there [Burma] is a valid and entirely credible attempt to add flesh to the skeletal facts we have of this time. […]this novel is one of his finest, in a long and redoubtable oeuvre.” —New York Times Book ReviewFrom the acclaimed author of The Mosquito Coast and The Bad Angel Brothers comes a riveting new novel exploring one of English literature’s most beloved and controversial figures—George Orwell—and the early years as an officer in colonial Burma that transformed him from Eric Blair, the British Raj policeman, into Orwell the anticolonial writer.At age nineteen, young Eton graduate Eric Blair set sail for India, dreading the assignment ahead. Along with several other young conscripts, he would be trained for three years as a servant of the British Empire, overseeing the local policemen in Burma. Navigating the social, racial, and class politics of his fellow British at the same time as he learned the local languages and struggled to control his men would prove difficult enough. But doing all of this while grappling with his own self-worth, his sense that he was not cut out for this, is soon overwhelming for the young Blair. Eventually, his clashes with his superiors, and the drama that unfolds in this hot, beautiful land, will change him forever.

About Paul Theroux

Paul Theroux is the author of many highly acclaimed books. His novels include Burma Sahib, The Bad Angel Brothers, The Lower River, Jungle Lovers, and The Mosquito Coast, and his renowned travel books include Ghost Train to the Eastern Star, On the Plain of Snakes, and Dark Star Safari. He lives in Hawaii and on Cape Cod.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Kasa on January 19, 2024

At an age when many people have been retired for years, Paul Theroux continues his career as a writer of immeasurable talent and seemingly limitless curiosity. This book could not be more different from the last two of his that I've read -- one about a legendary surfer and a novel woven out of his i......more

Goodreads review by Kate on July 15, 2024

My least favourite of Theroux's books. I normally love his writing but I found this fictional rendition of Eric Blair's life in Burma very dull. Very little is known about Blair's (George Orwell) time in the country and it seemed to me that Theroux didn't particularly like the man. He certainly pain......more

Goodreads review by Geoffrey on October 03, 2023

(Note: I received an advanced reader copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley) I’ve read several of Theroux’s travel books, but Burma Sahib was my first foray into his fiction. Within the very first chapter, I found myself familiarly ensconced by the same descriptive prowess that has previously and v......more

Goodreads review by AndiReads on November 10, 2023

Following graduation at Eton, young Eric Blair is set for Burma in the 1920's. He will be trained via the British Empire to oversee the local police man. Blair chafes at the abject racism and has a hard time making friends and fitting in. He is moved from station to station as he is unable to make h......more

Goodreads review by Jolanta (knygupė) on June 02, 2024

3,5* JAV rašytojas Paul Theroux garsiausias yra savo kelionine negrožine literatūra, bet rašo ir romanus, ir apsakymus. Nors tiek romanų, tiek apsakymų veiksmas beveik visada vyksta egzotiškose šalyse. Todėl neretai jo grožinė kūryba sudalykinama kaip kelionių literatūra. Iš negrožinių kol kas esu per......more