#165 in Classics
Burmese Days
- 288
- Pages
- about 5 h
- Reading time
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Our view
“Burmese Days”, George Orwell’s first novel, is an unsparing portrait of Burma under British rule. At its centre is John Flory, a lonely Englishman trapped in a system that corrupts colonists and Burmese alike. Some readers find the first half more a picture of colonial daily life than a plot. It is a sobering read for anyone who knows Orwell only from his later books.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
Burmese Days is the first novel and second book by English writer George Orwell, published in 1934. Set in British Burma during the waning days of empire, when Burma was ruled from Delhi as part of British India, the novel serves as "a portrait of the dark side of the British Raj." At the centre of the novel is John Flory, "the lone and lacking individual trapped within a bigger system that is undermining the better side of human nature." The novel describes "both indigenous corruption and imperial bigotry" in a society where, "after all, natives were natives—interesting, no doubt, but finally...an inferior people."
Where the score comes from
The sources average 7.9 across 69 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 32% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Classics average of 7.7. That is how 7.8 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 8.1 | 14 | 20% |
| Hardcover | 7.8 | 55 | 80% |
Frequently asked
How long is Burmese Days?
It has 288 pages — longer than 59% of the ranked books in Classics.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
The same shelf — Classics — and a score of 7.8, the closest to this book.
