Coming Up for Air: Annotated Edition

George Bowling, a 45-year-old insurance salesman, is overweight, depressed, and haunted by portents of imminent global conflict. He seeks refuge in his hometown in Oxfordshire, but the forces of "progress" force him to reflect on the folly of nostalgia and the impossibility of reliving the past. Orwell's fourth novel, published in 1939, is a comic and melancholy exploration of the frustrations and helplessness of a lower-middle-class protagonist faced with a rapidly changing world.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 22 June 2023
Publisher: Alma Books Ltd

George Bowling, a forty-five-year-old insurance salesman with a wife and two children, is overweight, depressed, and plagued by persistent signs of an impending global conflict. Seeking refuge from the mundane suburban routine that has entrapped him, he reminisces about his hometown in Oxfordshire, Lower Binfield. However, as he cherishes the idyllic rural memories of his childhood, the relentless forces of "progress" relentlessly advance, ultimately forcing George to confront the foolishness of nostalgia and the impossibility of reliving the past. This novel, written by Orwell in 1939 and published to critical and commercial success by Victor Gollancz, is a poignant portrayal of the frustrations and helplessness of a lower-middle-class protagonist navigating a rapidly changing world. It serves as a vital record of a society on the brink of war, offering a captivating blend of comedy and melancholy.

Weight: 220g
Dimension: 127 x 197 x 19 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781847499004