Burmese Days: George Orwell

But, my dear friend, what lie are you living?` `Why, of course, the lie that we`re here to uplift our poor black brothers instead of to rob them. I suppose it`s a natural enough lie. But it corrupts us, it corrupts us in ways you can`t imagine.
Based on his experiences as a policeman in Burma, George Orwell`s first novel presents a devastating picture of British colonial rule. It describes corruption and imperial bigotry in a society where, `after all, natives were natives - interesting, no doubt, but finally ... an inferior people`. When Flory, a white timber merchant, befriends Indian Dr Veraswami, he defies this orthodoxy. The doctor is in danger: U Po Kyin, a corrupt magistrate, is plotting his downfall. The only thing that can save him is membership of the all-white Club, and Flory can help. Flory`s life is changed further by the arrival of beautiful Elizabeth Lackersteen from Paris, who offers an escape from loneliness and the `lie` of colonial life.
Set in the days of the Empire, with the British ruling in Burma, Burmese Days describes both indigenous corruption and Imperial bigotry, when `after all, natives were natives - interesting, no doubt, but finally only a "subject" people, an inferior people with black faces`. Against the prevailing orthodoxy, Flory, a white timber merchant, befriends Dr Veraswami, a black enthusiast for Empire. The doctor needs help. U Po Kyin, Sub- divisional Magistrate of Kyauktada, is plotting his downfall. The only thing that can save him is European patronage: membership of the hitherto all-white Club. While Flory prevaricates, beautiful Elizabeth Lackersteen arrives in Upper Burma from Paris. At last, after years of `solitary hell`, romance and marriage appear to offer Flory an escape from the `lie` of the `pukka sahib pose`.