Burmese Days
by George Orwell
During the imperial period, when the British ruled in Burma, the Burmese days defined both indigenous corruption and imperial fanaticism, asking, "after all, were the natives indigenous? Interestingly, no doubt, but in the end it's just an important people, an inferior people with black faces." Against the prevailing orthodoxy, Flory, a white forest merchant, befriends Dr. Veraswami, a black Empire enthusiast. The doctor needs help. In Po Kyin, Kyauktada's lower ruler plans his downfall. The only thing that can save him is the patronage of Europe: the membership of the Club, which until now was completely white. Flory varies, while the beautiful Elizabeth Lackersteen arrives in Upper Burma from Paris. Finally, after years of "single hell," romance and marriage seem to offer Flora an escape from the "lies" of the "pukka sahib pose."
