On George Orwell’s five-year stint in Burma | A Drink with Paul Theroux

Idler editor Tom Hodgkinson chats with author Paul Theroux about his journey as a writer, and his experience fictionalising George Orwell’s life while working on his latest book Burma Sahib.
In this clip Paul takes us through his experience writing his latest book, Burma Sahib.
Paul Theroux (‘The world’s most perceptive travel writer” - Daily Mail) is the author of many highly acclaimed works of fiction and nonfiction, including The Great Railway Bazaar (1975), The Mosquito Coast (1981) Riding the Iron Rooster (1983), and Mr Bones: Twenty Stories (2014). In 2015, Paul was awarded a Royal Medal from the Royal Geographical Society for “the encouragement of geographical discovery through travel writing”. Paul’s other awards include the American Academy and Institute of Arts & Letters Award for literature; the Whitbread Prize, for his novel, Picture Palace; and the James Tait Black Award, for The Mosquito Coast. His travelogue, The Old Patagonian Express: By Train through the Americas, and The Mosquito Coast were both nominated for the American Book Award. His novels Saint Jack, The Mosquito Coast, Doctor Slaughter and Half Moon Street have been made into films and his short-story collection London Embassy was adapted for a British mini-series in 1987. Paul holds honorary doctorates from three American universities and remains a highly sought-after speaker. He lives in Hawaii and Cape Cod.
This conversation was recorded as part of the Idler's weekly online event, A Drink with the Idler. The full recording is available to magazine and Academy subscribers. Visit the website to join: www.idler.co.uk/

[@geraldinemcgowan2385]

Wish this was a longer talk.

[@pmarkhill519]

Good point about remembering how people communicated and spoke from that era. They were treasures among us.

[@jacksonvega7751]

Louis’ dad