Burma Sahib

Novelist and travel writer Theroux (The Bad Angel Brothers) offers a no-holds-barred version of George Orwell’s (born Eric Blair) early experiences working for the Indian Imperial Police. In 1922, 19-year-old Blair is fresh out of Eton. With no funds to pursue an Oxford education, he opts for a stint with the police force in Burma. Having never been to Burma, he is uncomfortable with the racism and hypocrisy he finds and makes rookie mistakes that cause him to be transferred from station to station. All the stations begin to look the same—British overlords “supervise,” while the Burmese people do all the work and take all the risks. Blair is dissatisfied, stressed, and insecure, and, just as his police career is about to collapse, he contracts dengue fever and is offered medical home leave. Charlie Anson contributes an astonishing variety of accents as he narrates this portrait of the horrors of British colonial rule.