The Road to Wigan Pier - George Orwell

...reviewing a paperback edition of the book, published by Penguin Classics; 272 pages, cover price £9.99. The book was first published in 1937 by Victor Gollancz. My copy was published in 2001.


I picked up the The Road to Wigan Pier in a book exchange facility that I often use when travelling on my narrow boat. I had read Orwell's well known classics, 'Animal Farm' and 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' many years ago and seeing this book decided ...
...off, how can I describe The Road To Wigan Pier? Well, it is not a novel, nor is it a work of non fiction in the way of a true life story. It is basically an account of the findings of George Orwell's tour of the industrial areas of Britain in the 1930s.


I have to be honest and declare my ignorance as I had assumed before reading the book, that it was a novel set in between the wars Britain. Assumption is not always a good thing!
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Review of 'The Road To Wigan Pier' by George Orwell.

I am reviewing a paperback edition of the book, published by Penguin Classics; 272 pages, cover price £9.99. The book was first published in 1937 by Victor Gollancz. My copy was published in 2001.

I picked up the The Road to Wigan Pier in a book exchange facility that I often use when travelling on my narrow boat. I had read Orwell's well known classics, 'Animal Farm' and 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' many years ago and seeing this book decided to re visit George Orwell's writing.

The Book

First off, how can I describe The Road To Wigan Pier? Well, it is not a novel, nor is it a work of non fiction in the way of a true life story. It is basically an account of the findings of George Orwell's tour of the industrial areas of Britain in the 1930s.

I have to be honest and declare my ignorance as I had assumed before reading the book, that it was a novel set in between the wars Britain. Assumption is not always a good thing!

Orwell's The Road To Wigan Pier is split into two sections. The first covers his personal experiences when he lived with the working class people in Industrialised areas such as the coal fields of Lancashire and Yorkshire. He describes with remarkable clarity the horrors of shared accommodation, with no running water, sanitation or electricity. He writes of the malnutrition, the massive unemployment and sheer drudgery that the working classes of the 1930s endured.

For a man from an affluent background, Eton educated and as he puts it 'taught to be a snob', the reality of day to day life for these people was shocking to him. He was surprised at the inordinate cheerfulness in the face of their poverty, that the people he met and lived with showed.

The second section of the book follows George Orwell's personal journey from public schoolboy, to Indian Imperial Police Officer in Burma, to Left-wing author and journalist. As the account progresses, Orwell expounds his personal opinions for Socialism. Orwell makes some very poignant points in this section and although many of his beliefs and principles are out dated by todays standards, he obviously had a very clear insight into human nature and the effects of politics on ordinary people.

I was particularly interested in his theories surrounding social housing. Orwell states that many estates of Corporation houses (council houses) were being built in the 30's. He admits that the houses were of far better quality than the slums they were designed to replace, however, these estates were built on the outskirts of towns, meaning that workers had further to travel to get to their workplace, some shops were provided, close to the houses but these were not the market type of shop residents were used to. Schools, working men's clubs, pubs and other facilities were now an expensive bus ride or long walk away and the sociable, neighbourly atmosphere of the slums was lost. Added to the fact that the rents on the new Corporation properties was considerably higher than that on the slum dwellings, meant that people resisted the move, preferring to move into another slum house when theirs was condemned.

My interest in this stemmed from my 96 year old grandmother's experiences of that time, she lived on the fish market in my home town. The small house she lived in was condemned as unfit for human habitation, but she refused the brand spanking new 'Corporation' house she was offered, as it was almost double the rent that she had been used to paying, a story she still loves to tell all these years later! .

Realistically, even today, who could afford to double their rent or mortgage?

The second section of The road To Wigan Pier is not in my opinion, as interesting as the first part, it relies heavily on Orwell's political leanings and his vision of socialism. That said, the book is still eminently readable and provides a remarkable insight into life in England between the wars.

About The Author

George Orwell, real name Eric Arthur Blair was born in Motihari, Bengal, India in 1903. He was educated at Eton, served with the Indian Imperial Police in Burma, and afterwards worked in Britain as a private tutor, schoolteacher, bookshop assistant and journalist. In 1936, Orwell went to fight for the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War and was wounded. In 1938 he was admitted into a sanatorium and from then on was never fully fit. George Orwell died from TB at the age of 46. A fuller biography of the author can be found at:-
http://www.george-orwell.org/l_biography.html

The link above was my source for information about the author.

My Thoughts and Conclusion

The Road To Wigan Pier is an interesting book, a glimpse into the lives of the people living in Britain's industrial areas during the 1930s. It isn't always comfortable reading, cockroaches, dirt and social injustices never are pleasant after all!

I am glad I read the book and although it isn't the sort of book that I will necessarily re-read, I feel this piece of George Orwell's writing is worth attention, it is hard-hitting, vivid, intricately detailed and his attitudes of commitment and honesty to his beliefs shine through. In short, I recommend this book to others.

The specific criteria is not really relevant to this book, please ignore!

Thank you for reading.

©brittle1906 October 2009

N.B. My reviews may be found on other review sites under the same name, brittle1906.

 

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