Excerpt from Finding George Orwell in Burma by Emma Larkin.
Photographs. Anecdotes. And observations on Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
I trust only old books.
"Hla Htut has no time for any contemporary Burmese writing, be it novels, newspapers, or magazines. 'I don't trust them. They always lie,' he said. 'I understand it is not the same in your country. Your books and newspapers never lie, isn't that so?' I thought about it for a moment and was prepared to launch into a long and complicated answer about the warped images of world affairs painted by tabloid newspapers and about mainstream international news channels simplifying stories for mass consumption, but Hla Htut took my hesitation for agreement and summed up his theory on reading. 'I trust only old books,' he said."
Sunday, September 4, 2011
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