Coming Up for Air is a novel by George Orwell, published before World War II and predicting that conflict. It is written
in the first person, with George Bowling, the 45-year-old protagonist, telling the reader his life story.The social and material changes experienced by Bowling since
childhood make his past seem as
distant as the biblical character Og, King of Bashan, a mention of whom triggers Bowling's 'trip down memory lane'. Orwell's writing tends to show a real relish for pessimism and squalor; nevertheless, Bowling expresses a nostalgic melancholy of some tenderness. The novel presents an absorbingly realistic evocation of what we now call 'a mid-life crisis'.What is most striking is not so much that Orwell predicted the start of the Second World War, which was becoming expected, but that he foresaw the transformation of society which would follow. Indeed, just a few years after the publication of this book, pre-war England was as distant and unreachable as George Bowling's Edwardian childhood.The themes of the book are nostalgia, the folly of trying to go back and recapture past glories and the easy way the dreams and aspirations of one's youth can be smothered by the humdrum routine of work, marriage and getting old. George Bowling is not a very sympathetic character—he is a fat, middle-aged insurance salesman who dislikes his wife and children and who would betray what few principles he has for a couple of pints or a good night out with a prostitute. However, like many Orwell protagonists, his saving graces are candour and a merciless clarity of vision, especially regarding himself.