I read George Orwell’s Burmese Days when I was living in Bangkok and I remember how much the book made me want to
book a trip to Rangoon to see the country for myself. Burma, or Myanmar as it is officially called is a mess. The
ruling junta there is known for its brutality, backwardness and sociopathic secrecy. Like North Korea, Burma is an
anachronism, an oddity, albeit a less dangerous one, and it remains one of the most closed societies on earth.
Now there is a book out about Burma that uses Orwell’s tale there as a backdrop for exploring the country as a whole.
It looks like a great read, and I’m going to try to get my hands on the book so that I can review it here, but in the
meantime NPR has got a nice feature on the
book that is worth checking out. Also, check out
Worldhum’s very thoughtful
take on the subject of Burma’s despotic political climate.