Coming Up For Air ?

 Im not a big reader. In fact its probably a year since I read a book, but when I do read its usually something by a famous writer such as George Orwell or Mary Shelley. Ive read two books by George Orwell the first was Down and Out in London and Paris which was basically about Orwells experience of living below the poverty line at the turn of the century in these cities. This book really struck a chord with me. Before modern welfare and the 1st World War life was extremely harsh. People trying to find work just to eat, horrific working hours and conditions were all common place. Hearing a persons first hand accounts of the squalor and the fear of starvation is just so revealing. How fast times have changed.

The 2nd book I read by Orwell was Coming Up for Air. This was a novel about a man at the middle age time of life trying to revisit his childhood stomping grown as they say. He does succeed in a fashion but life pits every obstacle in his way, and on revisiting his child hood village he finds it has become a town. I found one observation very acute in this book, and it was that a person who owns a failing business can survive a long time, unlike someone who lost their job and went straight to the " workhouse " In fact he stated that pre 1st World War people often starved to death before bankruptcy occurred which was seen as a blessing as public humiliation of being bankrupted was deemed worse ! Not so long ago we had such different values and how fast these have changed.

Anyway the book ive ordered tonight is called The Road to Wigan Pier and Im guessing its a look at society in a similar period in recent history. Ive never read 1984 though and we read Animal Farm at secondary school. I seem to have an appetite for his less well known writing. Im also planning to read Dracula which if it is as good as Frankenstein then it will really move me. 

The nights seem so long here and time seems to go so slow at night. There is only so much You Tube I can watch, and everything seems so jaded. There comes a weariness that manifests after so much time alive. That sounds awful but given enough time what we are ceases eventually to be and a void is left. What was is no more.. and whats now is just a blank.

You know I woke up in the early hours today like I used to with a poem forming in my mind. Its a long while since that has happened...

Do you know how it ends ?

The mess

The flailing 

I know youve seen it...