Something of the refreshing air - George Orwell | Novel

The novel "Something of Refreshing Air," with its humor and playfulness, is one of the most enjoyable works written by George Orwell. He wrote it in Marrakech where he was taking a rest after being injured in the Spanish Civil War, and it was published in 1939. The events revolve around the life of George Bowling, a man in his forties experiencing a midlife crisis, afraid of an imminent war and the tyranny of authoritarian regimes. This simple employee, married for fifteen years to a woman he does not love, and father of two ungrateful children, aspires to breathe "something of refreshing air"; thus he sets out, escaping monotony, seeking lost time, to the places where he spent his childhood. He shares with us his impressions of the past and present, stirring our feelings with his honesty, and inviting us to reflect and think, as is always the case with Orwell. The importance of this remarkable novel lies not only in its profound style but also in its prophetic value, as it carried within it the seeds of "1984," the work that is unquestionably Orwell's timeless masterpiece. The author revealed in his correspondence with some friends, during the writing of "Something of Refreshing Air," that another novel idea had occurred to him, a novel that would attract attention... If only he knew how right he was!