Down and Out in Paris and London
by George Orwell · first published 1933
58% recommend41% neutral1% critical
Why HN recommends it
First-hand account of poverty in 1930s Paris and London, from dishwashing in restaurant kitchens to vagrancy. Readers value how it shows poverty's toll on body and mind and the stigma around homelessness.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
'You have talked so often of going to the dogs – and well, here are the dogs, and you have reached them.' George Orwell's vivid memoir of his time among the desperately poor and destitute in London and Paris is a moving tour of the underworld of society. Here he painstakingly documents a world of unrelenting drudgery and squalor – sleeping in bug-infested hostels and doss houses, working as a dishwasher in the vile 'Hotel X', living alongside tramps, surviving on scraps and cigarette butts – in an unforgettable account of what being down and out is really like.
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It's a pity for most people this will be the only Orwell's book they will read, personally I find it one of his weaker ones, I liked "Animal farm", "Down and out in Paris and London" and his essays much more, and his biggest literary achievement is probably "Homage for Catalonia".
on “Sales of George Orwell’s ’1984′ up 69 percent on Amazon” ↗…time to re-read it. What are some books you find your self going back to repeatedly (or want to)? My list: - Domain Driven Design - Ray Bradbury's short stories and Farenheit 451 - George Orwell's Down and Out in Paris and London, The Road to Wigan Pier - Descent into Hell - LotR, the Hobbit, and Narnia - Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Psalms, Job, James - The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment - Wendell Berry's Essays…
on “Read Fewer Books” ↗If this is interesting to you, I would absolutely recommend you read Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell. It is a very engaging account of a period of destitution in his life.
on “On Being Broke” ↗A lot of this was common in the US and Europe a hundred years ago, but laws and changing culture have stopped it. Just look at snake oil, or the many other “remedies”. See, eg, “ Down and Out in Paris and London” by Orwell, where among many other things he talks about how the restaurant kitchens in early 1900s Paris were extremely gross and dangerous, but because the front of the restaurants were clean, the customers…
on “Why are some egg yolks so orange?” ↗Anyone serious about living on little should read http://www.theskintfoodie.com/recipes.html And if you're really serious about living on less than that then I can only recommend Orwell's "Down and Out in Paris and London" for the wonderful tip of smearing garlic on a knife before you put butter on bread to convince your body you've eaten a hearty meal. I personally lived a couple of years on http://www.complan.com which…
on “$35/Week – Eating well on $35 a week” ↗Eric Blair (known to some as George Orwell) wrote two of the most biting descriptions of the grind of poverty: Down and out in Paris and London http://www.george-orwell.org/Down_and_Out_in_Paris_and_Londo... The Road to Wigan Pier http://www.george-orwell.org/The_Road_to_Wigan_Pier/
on “How Poverty Taxes the Brain” ↗This was a great read. Reminds me of a modern day version of George Orwell's classic, Down and Out in Paris and London
on “What It's Like to Fail” ↗Not really what you're looking for but it's what sprung to mind: George Orwell's Down and Out in Paris and London. He gives up his bourgeois lifestyle to live among the poor. I'm not sure he started anything at the end though. Besides himself, with a wider perspective of the world.
on “What is the best “I was broke and almost 30” autobiography you can think of?” ↗…Profit in the American City” is fantastic, really. It was by far the most recommended book by guests on my favourite podcast and so I has high expectations, but it exceeded them. I’d also recommend “Down and Out in Paris and London” by George Orwell. It’s a travel-log where Orwell actually becomes a “tramp” in order to best document the experience of homelessness and to meet people experiencing homelessness. Orwell recognised the…
on “Books helped South African man overcome homelessness” ↗If anyone is interested in learning a good deal about what it "feels like" to be poor, I highly recommend reading "Down and Out in Paris and London", George Orwell's first book.
…Shakespeare’s heroes and villains.) I think one of the reasons that 1984 and Animal Farm have been so enduring is that their simplicity allows people to ignore Orwell’s actual intentions or message. Down and Out in Paris and London and Homage to Catalonia are much more rewarding reading than 1984 or Animal Farm.
on “Why Orwell Endures” ↗Was going to mention that myself. I just finished both Down and Out in Paris and London and Keep the Aspidistra Flying. Orwell's commentary on money is definitely worth checking out. A very different glimpse of capitalism than that often seen on HN.
on “Homeless Experiment” ↗You might enjoy George Orwell's Down and Out in Paris and London. Among many other things, he describes his experiences working (in the 1930's) in the kitchens of a big Paris hotel and a small Paris restaurant -- I was reminded of Bourdain when I read these.
on “So You Wanna Be a Chef - Anthony Bourdain” ↗…ago very often. Now that happens just once in a while. How I fixed this? I started enjoying myself whenever I can. What I changed? I stopped caring what I "should" do. Go to library and read Orwell's "Down and out in Paris and London". And Zappo's "Delivering Happiness", at least the very last chapter. I believe those should help you quite a lot.
on “Ask HN: What is (is there something) wrong with me?” ↗You're most likely familiar with Orwell's "Down and Out in Paris and London" and "The Road to Wigan Pier", two of the finest books ever written. The first is his "vivid and moving account of life below poverty line", first in Paris, when he, after resigning being a servant of…
on “The Benefits of Being Cold” ↗