Shooting an Elephant

Jul 17, 2025 3:11 AM

Author:George Orwell,Jeremy Paxman

'Shooting an Elephant' is Orwell's searing and painfully honest account of his experience as a police officer in imperial Burma; killing an escaped elephant in front of a crowd 'solely to avoid looking a fool'. The other masterly essays in this collection include classics such as 'My Country Right or Left', 'How the Poor Die' and 'Such, Such were the Joys', his memoir of the horrors of public school, as well as discussions of Shakespeare, sleeping rough, boys' weeklies and a spirited defence of English cooking. Opinionated, uncompromising, provocative and hugely entertaining, all show Orwell's unique ability to get to the heart of any subject.

A collection of witty and incisive non-fiction, George Orwell's Shooting an Elephant includes an introduction by Jeremy Paxman in Penguin Modern Classics.

Reviews

The handsome bindings are only the cherry on top of what is already a cake without compare.

—— Evening Standard

He exhausts superlatives

—— Stephen Fry

Wodehouse's idyllic world can never stale. He will continue to release future generations from captivity that may be more irksome than our own. He has made a world for us to live in and delight in

—— Evelyn Waugh

Flaunting, Extravagant Queen has the colour, liveliness, and sensitivity with which one has come to associate this author's historical novels

—— Scotsman

Mr. Rafael Sabatini is one of the most picturesque of romantic writers and has also a sound equipment as a historian

—— Daily Express

The plot is terrific and the pace fast and furious...A terrific story told by a master storyteller

—— Historical Novels Review

Grimly, intelligently comic as if written by an Asian Joseph Heller

—— Daily Telegraph

If this rich stew of disparate ingredients puts you in mind of Salman Rushdie, you wouldn't be far from the truth. His work, along with that of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Joseph Heller, is a low-key but persistent influence

—— Sunday Times

An exciting, accomplished new literary voice

—— Irish Times

A very funny satire-cum-thriller

—— Sally Cousins , Sunday Telegraph Seven

Somewhere in mid-air between Waugh and Rushdie (with an shade of Catch 22 hovering near by) this tremendous novel makes a tragicomic weather all its own

—— Boyd Tonkin , The Independent

Justly Booker longlisted last year, this debut is a dazzling one-off

—— Hermione Eyre , The Observer

Provocative and comic debut.

—— The Times

A true touch of originality ... showcases a promising new talent.

—— Colin Waters , Sunday Herald

Dry, droll and insightful

—— The Independent

Bodice-ripping romp through the West

—— Times

Missy by Strong and memorable female characters throughout this enjoyable novel

—— http://meandmybigmouth.typepad.com/scottpack

Witty and effortlessly fluid. His books are laugh-out-loud funny

—— Arabella Weir

The funniest writer ever to put words to paper

—— Hugh Laurie

The greatest comic writer ever

—— Douglas Adams

P.G. Wodehouse wrote the best English comic novels of the century

—— Sebastian Faulks

Sublime comic genius

—— Ben Elton

Previous Article：The Man With Two Left Feet Next Article：Flora's Lot

Comments

Welcome to zzdbook comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.