Down and Out in Paris and London

George Orwell's famous account of his own experience living in poverty in Paris then London. With an introduction by Lara Feigel. Orwell's first published book, Down and Out in Paris and London, is at once a very personal account, an exposé of poverty stricken lives between the wars, and a call for social and economic reform.

This edition is introduced by writer Lara Feigel. Towards the end of the 1920s, whilst living in Paris, Orwell's few remaining funds are stolen and he falls into a life of severe poverty. Living hand to mouth, with barely a centime to his name, he shares squalid lodgings with Russian­born Boris and for a while finds tedious and backbreaking work as a 'plongeur' - washing up in the bowels of Paris restaurants.

Back in England he lives as a tramp finding occasional shelter in dangerous and filthy doss houses. Part of the Macmillan Collector's Library, a series of stunning, pocket sized classics with ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover.