Orwell's Down and Out in Paris and London, written in 1933, as a autobiographical work, is something which makes flesh the gritty poverty and depravation, which befell his years. Written as one piece, the story has a clear divide between the time Orwell spent in Paris, and his soujorn amongst the "vangabonds" whilst "down and out in London".
Although the book, meant to tell the story of Orwell's past, his rapports with "screevers" and "communists", it also serves as an exposé on the scene of London and Paris, circa 1913. The fractured layout is not insignificant in facilitating Orwell's comparison between the two environs.
Whilst seeming to tell his story of "dirt" and "unemployment" straight, Orwell makes time to recount hilariously ironic avant-garde anecdotes, such as suffering forced insomnia at the hands "snoring" men, of watching with his hungry eyes, plentiful and extravagant food being disposed of, at a soup kitchen. Yet throughout Orwell staves of, what must have been a temptation to merely tell his life in jest. This is epitomised by one particular event: Orwell has made upon him, "homosexual" advances, whilst in logings. Despite the serious nature of this act, Orwell does not treat this with any homophobic prejudice, nor with and jest. He spends time talking to the advancer, perhaps this was just clouded by memory, or embellished by time. More likely I feel, that it was true, that it was merely a mark of Orwell's decency and just mind, even in his most wretched of times.
The squalid, and sometimes "fetid" descriptions, are indeed congruous with post-Liberal Reform, pre-World War One Britain. On the surface this book is little more than one man's extraordinary movements and surroundings, yet this is used as a viehcle to subtextually examine political movements and even failures. Objective, it's not, Interesting though.
It is quite clear, after reading this book exactly what influenced Orwell to go on and write 1984, and Animal Farm. In fact, it would not be inaccurate to say that, during his days on the streets and in the "soup kitchens", Orwell lived the life of a "prole"tarian (1984). His meetings and dealings with "Russian communists", despite an unfavorable portrayal in "Down and Out" as greedy extorters and con-men, are certainly reflected in his Marx critique Animal Farm. The book is a classic, an essential, and is particularly pertinent as background reading for Orwell's other novels. Totally aside from this, it has to have set a standard for all other leftfield memoirs and Historical reference points, henceforth.
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