The Correspondent book reviews: the heat and satire of Orwell’s Burmese Days; the joy Nancy Mitford’s Pursuit of Love; and revisiting Treasure Island and its complex character of Long John Silver

Burmese Days. By George Owell

Written in the 1930s when the British Empire was at its zenith, Burmese Days is loosely based on Eric Blair’s (George Orwell’s) experience as policeman in what is now referred to a Myanmar. The heat of the tropical rainforest in which the novel is set seeps out of every page with references to the stifling heat and how the climate dominates life until the arrival of the rains near the end. Essentially a satire of British colonialism seen through the eyes of John Flory, a middle aged businessman who works in the timber trade and loves Burma but is not keen on its people or the other ex-pats who live there. Except for two exceptions – his Burmese mistress Ma Hla May who he treats with distain – and Dr Veraswami who he enjoys in fuelled discussions with.

His failed seduction of the pretty young English girl only adds to his unhappiness. At every stage of the slice of colonial life the British are seen as lazy, dismissive of the locals, snobbish and bent on maintaining the class system of way of life back home – all with the inevitable failure. Burmese Days explains through its characters why even to this day so many former subjects of the Empire continue to despise us. Harry Mottram

The Pursuit of Love. By Nancy Mitford. (The photo is of Lily James who played Linda in the BBC adaptation.)

I don’t agree with much of what The Daily Mail says but its verdict on Nancy Mitford’s family saga novel The Pursuit of Love is spot on: ‘Utter, utter bliss.’ Mitford’s prose flow off the page with a splendid candour full of gossip, wit, humour and home truths. Written by the narrator Fanny, the story follows her extended family but concentrates on her cousin Linda. Beautiful, empty headed and in pursuit of love Linda gets through two husbands and a lover in her quest for happiness. Set before the World War Two the story contains many of the attitudes of the upper classes held at the time – from Uncle Matthew’s hatred of foreigners to their inability to dress or cook for themselves without the help of staff. There’s an unlikely Cassanova figure in Fabrice de Sauveterre who gives Linda an unlimited clothes allowance in Paris, a handsome if humourless Communist and Spanish Civil War volunteer Christian Talbot, Linda’s second husband, and the eccentric Lord Merlin – a friend of the family. So many characters in such a short book but one of my favourites and a window into pre-war Britain for the rich and privileged. Harry Mottram

Treasure Island. By Robert Louis Stevenson.

Read as a schoolboy, then as a mature OU student and now as a sixty something adult at each reading Treasure Island gave up something new. Published in 1883 the coming of age novel attracted me was a child as there was no kissing, no girls and lots of action allowing me to identify with and understand the protagonist and narrator Jim Hawkins. As a student the novel’s themes included that of exploitation, greed and what is sometimes called muscular Christianity. Jim and his friends Doctor Livesey and squire Trelawney have no scruples of plundering the gold left on Treasure Island in the Caribbean Seas which had been stolen by pirates from the Spanish who in turn had taken the gold from native Americans or rather the rulers of the ancient Empires of Central America. Now as a sixty something the basic journey-plot – to find the treasure and fight off the attentions of the pirates came to the fore – along with the complexity of and charisma of Long John Silver. Manipulative, brave, aggregable company, dangerous and charming by degrees you can see why he has for so long fascinated and inspired readers and film makers alike. And Jim is equally manipulative and brave – portrayed as good side of the good/bad coin – he is equally ruthless to get his hands on the treasure – with no mention of restoring his mother’s pub to its former glory into an 18^th century gastro pub – or what passed for one in those days. Along the way we visit dockside Bristol, grapple with words that only sailors would understand and meet and enjoyably eccentric Ben Gunn. But on each reading – in the words of Michael Palin – a ripping yard. Harry Mottram

Harry is a freelance journalist. Follow him on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube etc

Email:harryfmottram@gmail.com
Website:www.harrymottram.co.uk

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