Book timing, Orwell and Burma
When it comes to reading books that others recommend, I usually follow a general rule of thumb. Once three people with similar reading tastes recommend it, I read it.
But this book only took two. For two reasons. One, Orwell is such a brilliant writer. Two, I heard about it twice on the same day.
When you consider that this book was published in 1934, the odds against that are enormous.
This is how it happened. My nephew and his girl friend visited after a long trip through Southeast Asia, and they were talking about Burmese Days, which they'd read on the trip.
After we had dinner, they went to sleep off the jet lag and I went to Southbank. The Writer's Craft was given by TWS Director Wayde Compton. and I was there to meet the students, listen and learn.
Wayde was talking about George Orwell's famous essay on language, and he mentioned this very book. It hadn't been more than two hours since Lee and Kenysha had been talking about it.
"Our next trip will be to India and Burma," they informed me.
So of course I had to request it. I've been to the library twice to pick it up, getting there both times just a hair after closing. Third time should be lucky.
Then I'll have to read it, along with the twenty or thirty other books that are right at the front of my reading queue.