Book Review: Why Orwell Matters

I am a massive fan of George Orwell both as a writer and a socialist/humanist so I may be somewhat bias with any book about him, especially as I am also a huge fan of the writings of Hitchens too. This is quite a short, light read, perfect for anyone who has not experienced Orwell before but would also be great as a starting point for new students of the author.

Hitchens does have a certain literary style which you will experience in his writings here, especially if you are familiar with his other works (my favorite being God is not great) The subject of the book is of course Orwell, Born Eric Arthur Blair, George Orwell created some of the sharpest satirical fiction of the 20th century with such works as Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four (which you can also read about in a previous post of my blog). He was a man of strong opinions who addressed some of the major political movements of his times, including imperialism, fascism and communism. Orwell is best known for two novels, Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four, both of which were published toward the end of his life. Animal Farm (1945) was an anti-Soviet satire in a pastoral setting featuring two pigs as its main protagonists. These pigs were said to represent Josef Stalin and Leon Trotsky. The novel brought Orwell great acclaim and financial rewards. In 1949, Orwell published another masterwork, Nineteen Eighty-Four (or 1984 in later editions). This bleak vision of the world divided into three oppressive nations stirred up controversy among reviewers, who found this fictional future too despairing. In the novel, Orwell gave readers a glimpse into what would happen if the government controlled every detail of a person's life, down to their own private thoughts. Doe’s Orwell Matter? Well I agree with Hitchens that he does. Hitchens does a good job in showing how Orwell's uncompromising belief in liberty and equality (expressed very clearly in "Animal Farm" and "Nineteen Eighty-four") offended those on the left who refused to accept that Stalin's USSR violated those ideals big-time. And he also shows that while right-wing thinkers endorsed (some of) Orwell's principles, they could not claim him as one of their own. Orwell remains a towering figure on the libertarian left, despite some odd foibles such as his slightly questionable attitude towards Jews and gays. Its an enjoyable enlightening read and at 200 pages its not too taxing, I certainly recommend it to everyone. To quote a sentence from the back of the book by Hitchens “I sometimes feel as if George Orwell requires extracted from under a pile of saccharine tablets and moist hankies” and its my opinion Hitchens does exactly this in his book.

Café Andaluz

Café Andaluz is part of a chain of Spanish eateries with branches across Scotland. I had a visit one Saturday lunch time to their Edinburgh city centre base, with opulent Moorish-style décor of dark woods, mosaic tiles, large vases and even a statue of a bull about to charge, aims to transport you to a tapas bar in Southern Spain. The menu is extensive and includes popular dishes such as tortilla española, honey and mustard chicken, or their meat, fish, shellfish or seafood paellas (for two) remain.

Unsurprisingly, there’s a mixture of tapas staples – calamari are good with a twist of chorizo mayonnaise, pimientos de padron (small green peppers with sea salt) are moreish and tasty, and their churros (hot doughnut sticks with a hot chocolate dip) look delight although I missed out of desert this time as I was full but I shall remember to leave space next time.

Cafe Andaluz is quite deceiving – from the outside the restaurant looks small and cafe like but I was shocked as to how big and spacious it was inside. I loved the décor –bright and funky colours and each table has its own separate booth with plenty of space for you and your dining partner. I really enjoyed the Tapa there and would certainly recommend the place.

Book Review: The Remains of the Day

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro won the Booker Prize in 1989. It remains one of the 20th century's most critically acclaimed novels and was adapted into a film starring Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson, nominated for 8 Academy Awards in 1994. The novel is very absorbing, beautifully composed, moving, and deep. The novel is narrated by an elderly butler on a road trip in the 1950s. He reflects on his life, and his strive for professionalism and 'dignity'. The characterisation is so complete that when I think of the narrator, Stevens, I think of a person rather than a character. The Remains of the Day is a novel about the nature of relationships: professional, personal, and, almost existentially, with oneself. It has glittering moments of humour which made me laugh out loud. And it has moments of remarkable tenderness – which are almost painful to read – and moments of morality and politics which provide genuine food for thought. The character, Mr Stevens in this novel muses on his past life. It is fair to say that Stevens has spent most of his time building barriers between himself and others. His entire reason for living has been to serve Lord Darlington, who we gradually realise, is undeserving of such utter loyalty. Meanwhile, his feelings for Miss Kenton, and hers for him, are poignantly revealed. Kazuo Ishiguro is a genius of an author and much of the substance of this outstanding novel lies in what he doesn't say (or write), as much as what he does - an almost impossible task for any other author. His gentle unveiling of the absurd posturing of Stevens, his inability to deal with either his own, or others, feelings, his sad regret, and Miss Kenton's attempts to breach his defences are heart rending.

Kazuo Ishiguro is an amazing writer, I started this book immediately after finishing his more recent novel, The Buried Giant which I have also reviewed on this blog. Next up I will be reading his “The Unconsoled” which I am looking forward to immensely. Ishiguro was born in Nagasaki, Japan but was raised in the UK since the age of 5. The Japanese are popularly believed to live in a society hamstrung by rigid social conventions and politenesses, and I love the fact that here a British writer of Japanese descent manages to skewer the absurdities of our class system so well

Dinner at Wahaca in Edinburgh

Yesterday evening after my work I went into the town (Edinburgh) and had dinner with a friend at Wahaca on South Street beside St Andrews square. We, by luck attended on the opening night and after a brief wait for a table the pager we were handed started buzzing and flashing to indicate our table was ready so with drinks already in hand we were sat at an upstairs table. We were next to a metal pillar which had a metal arm sticking from it with a very bright bare light bulb shinning at head height, somewhat distracting but perhaps authentic Mexican style if you were in Guanajuato being interrogated by the Police. This would be my only complaint to what was otherwise I decent experience.

Wahaca is a UK fast food chain selling Mexican food, co-founded by Thomasina Miers, with 19 branches. The founder, Thomasina Miers was a Masterchef winner (2005) who also has a cookery book published (called Wahaca) There recently was a food truck parked in St Andrews square playing live music and giving out free tacos are certain times, it had the “Wahaca’s” logo so can only guess this was a taster of Mexican street food before the opening of their restaurant yesterday. The menu is very extensive and reasonably prices. You can get lots of small dishes and sample loads of different tastes (we had 7 different dishes and were stuffed by the end of the night) We had the following … Pea and Mint Empanada, Taquito Sw P (don’t ask), Ancho Taco, Devon crab and MSC shrimp taquitos (my Fav), Chick Tost CM, Lamb Taquito and Bean + Rice…. All nice and beautifully presented. There is also 3 different bottles of sauces on the tables, one is smoky chipotle salsa, the other two I can’t remember offhand but one was extremely hot.

There is also a novel way of paying the bill there by downloading an app, entering your card details, reviewing the details, adding a tip if deserved then paying online there at the table, Wahaca wi-fi available if you don’t have a 3G signal. All paid and you just get up and walk out, no waiting for your bill to arrive. From what I have read, Wahaca restaurants is designed to have as low an environmental impact as possible. All ingredients used in the restaurants are sourced as locally as possible or transported with care for the environment. Where specialist ingredients have to be delivered from Mexico, the approach is to buy direct from local co-operatives that support local farming communities which is all very commendable.

Book Review: 1984 by George Orwell

Not only is this book a gripping read through it's language and characterisation, but it also serves as a real-life warning against the dangers of dystopian societies powered by relentless and blinding idealogy (Scottish Nationalist’s take note). Orwell 's novel should be read by all who live in free and democratic societies, and should also strike anyone who happens to praise communism as a form of benevolant ruling clueless. What is even more remakable is that Orwell latched on to the unspeakable evil of Stalin and his pathetic ideology long before anyone else in thw world. Orwell was rightly disgusted that Stalin was held in high regards among the intelligentsia of wartime Britain (his other work, Animal Farm, was refused publication several times). Yet in the final years of his distinguished life, he was able to produce this mastery of political literature, which to be understood completely, must be read in conjuction with the political happenings of the time. The context/background of this work is the key to Orwell's themes. Re-reading this again about 20 odds years after I first picked it up when I was about 19, the strength and power of this novel surprised me all over again. There is so much truth in here about politics, exaggerated of course this is no precise prediction of the future. However, parallels in our own society of the totalitarian world of Big Brother are all to apparent As the protagonist, Winston Smith is an unlikely hero. Thirty-nine years old, frail, and plagued by ill-health, he inwardly rebels against the totalitarian and brutalised system that represses the central tenets of man's basic freedom. His acts of rebellion appear to be rather sparse, if not pathetic. Writing in a diary, wandering through the "prole" areas, hiding away in a small alcove where Winston in unable to be seen by the telescreen - however, in the eyes of Big Brother, this is a monumental act of "thought crime". His covert affair with a fellow Party worker, Julia, and his frequent attempts to unravel the enigma that surrounds Inner Party member O'Brien come to characterise all that Winston can accomplish in terms of organised opposition to the rule of the Party. Orwell's narrative techniques and grim political satire combine to form a warning of a very real danger - a danger that was so thankfully eliminated from this Earth at the demolishing of the Berlin Wall. The story is set in London, in a nightmarish 1984 that for Orwell might well have been a possibility, writting as he was many years before that date. Or maybe, he was just trying to warn his contemporaries of the dangers of not opposing the Soviet threat, a threat that involved a new way of life that was in conflict with all that the English held dear. Orwell tried to depict a totalitarian state, where the truth didn't exist as such, but was merely what the "Big Brother" said that it was. Freedom was only total obedience to the Party (SNP thoughts come to mind again), and love an alien concept, unless it was love for the Party. The story is told from the point of view of Winston Smith, a functionary of the Ministry of Truth whose work involved the "correction" of all records each time the "Big Brother" decided that the truth had changed. The Party slogan said that "Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past", and they applied it constantly by "bringing up to date" the past so as to make it coincide with whatever the Party wanted. From Winston Smith's point of view, many things that scare us are normal. For example, the omnipresence of the "Big Brother", always watching you, and the "Thought Police" that punishes treacherous thoughts against the Party. The reader feels the inevitability of doom that pervades the book many times, in phrases like "Thought crime was not a thing that could be concealed forever. You might dodge successfully for a while, even for years, but sooner or later they were bound to get you". Little by little, Winston begins to realize that things are not right, and that they should change. We accompany him in his attempt at subversion, and are unwilling witnesses of what that attempt brings about. This book is marked by hopelessness, but at the same time it is the kind of distressing book we all NEED to read... Why do we need to read "1984"?. In my opinion, basically for two reasons. To start with, Orwell made in this book many observations that are no more merely fiction, but already things that manage to reduce our freedom. Secondly, and closely linked to my first reason, this is a book that only gets better with the passing of time, as you can read in it more and more implications. One of Orwell's main reasons for writing this "negative utopia" might have been to warn his readers against communism, but many years after his death and the fall of communism, we can also interpret it as a caution against the excessive power of mass media, or the immoderate power of any government (even those who don't defend communism). Technological innovations should be at the service of men, and allow them to live better lives, but they can be used against them. I guess that is one of Orwell's lessons, probably the most important one. All in all, I think you can benefit from reading this book. Because of that, I highly recommend it to you :)

Book Review- The Buried Giant

The Buried Giant By Kazuo Ishiguro

This book is primarily about the relationship between a man and a woman at the end of their lives. It asks questions about love and what brings people together. However, it is also a story about a dragon slayer and, almost as an aside, the difficulties of hostile populations living together and the tragedies of memory. Whilst th author Ishiguro has written books with science fiction-fantasy elements before, most notably in Never Let Me Go, The Buried Giant caused something of a stir when it was first published, as it is out and out fantasy. There are no blurred lines. You can't call it magic realism. It's not speculative. It's fantasy. Whilst the labeling of novels can be helpful, particularly if you own a bookstore, they can also be misleading and used as a way to pigeonhole, denigrate, or ignore a novel's worth. Define a novel as "genre," and it is all too easy to dismiss. Conversely, labels can over-inflate opinion. Calling a novel "literary fiction" adds gravitas. The Buried Giant destroys the myth of labels. It contains many tropes associated with the fantasy genre--a quest, knights, ogres, and dragons--but it is also a work of rare beauty. A novel where every word has been weighed before use. The result is a story filled with layers and multiple meanings that might just be a work of genius. The Buried Giant feels like a work of early fiction. A fairy tale filled with allegory, one shade away from oral storytelling. It recalls The Canterbury Tales, Don Quixote, and above all, The Death of King Arthur. (Arthur is named-checked a couple of times and Sir Gawain is a principal character--a nod to Professor Tolkien, perhaps?). The setting is Dark Ages Britain. A time of myth and superstition. Even moving from town to town brings a sense of mystery and foreboding. Villages of "Britons" lie close to newly forged Saxon settlements. Distrust exists between the indigenous (my word) population and the new arrivals. Mistrust is in the air. The real-world parallels here are obvious. This is not a traditional fantasy setting, which tends to feel like heroic quests in agricultural northern Europe. Instead, Ishiguro's Britain feels like an agoraphobic's worst nightmare. Above all, though, The Buried Giant is a quest story. Axl and Beatrice set out to visit their son, who left many years ago, and now lives in a settlement several days away. The couple are old, their usefulness to their community on the wane. One senses this is to be their final journey. Much like the Wizard of Oz, they meet people on the way, travelling the same road, who join their quest. They journey with a young boy cast out from his village, a formidable Saxon warrior, and the ageing Sir Gawain, one of the few remaining Knights of the Round Table. As the journey unfolds, a sense that all is not right gradually seeps into the tale. Most notably that memories are hard to keep a hold of. Nobody can remember very much other than shadows of the past. The prose is spare but beautifully constructed and, unlike most genre fantasy novels, there is little embellishment of the details. Like many fables and legends, The Buried Giant is laden with allegory. There are myriad interpretations and real-world parallels. Themes of loss, acceptance, and the dangers of ignorance bubble to the surface again and again. The Buried Giant examines human nature, most particularly our inability to learn from the past. Closed-minded attitudes, superstition, and fealty to outmoded, incorrect assumptions seem reasonable when placed in the Dark Ages. Yet, transpose these attitudes to the 21st Century, which I believe Ishiguro intends us to do, and they begin to look like willful ignorance. There were places where I worried that The Buried Giant's delicate confection was going to fade away into nothing. The middle section left me restless, but as the novel moved into the final third, towards its devastating conclusion, I was gripped. On finishing, I was left wrung-out and overawed. The Buried Giant is no swords and sorcery epic, but a novel of rare and delicate beauty. Fantasy in setting, mythic in tone, but relevant to today, with a deep emotional resonance, I doubt I'll read a better novel this year.