Monday, January 09, 2006

Just finished reading...

Bangkok

...'Burmese days' by George Orwell. Little gem of a novel, written in straight, unpretentious prose. Orwell recognized one fundamental point well - that story must come before style. That you can write dazzlingly without actually trying to. Modern-day pretenders like Rushdie and Martin Amis would do well to remember that. Burmese days is about the moral decay of the British Raj and a common dilemma faced by ordinary men - choosing between a comfortable life and standing up for something you believe in.

Finished that, and picked up one of Michael Palin's travel books. Palin never disappoints. His books reflect his personality - gentle and good-humoured.

I am listening to a lot of 'cool jazz' these days - Paul Desmond, Stan Getz and the like. Now here is a combination for a mellow weekend afternoon - Desmond on the CD player and a Palin book at hand. Not much else you can ask for in life.