One of his six favorite books, as told to The Week magazine:
Homage to Catalonia by George OrwellRead about another book on Packer's list.
The 20th century's great drama of war, ideological struggle, hope, and disillusionment, told without histrionics or self-display. The voice is both passionately humane and ruthlessly detached. I found this book in a Barcelona bookshop at age 23, a very low moment, and wanted to be a writer — that writer.
Homage to Catalonia also appears among Timothy Snyder's five top books on dissent in Central Europe, Carne Ross's five notable books on leaderless revolution, Samuel Muston's ten best travel books, Harold Evans's five best books on reporting, and Michael Symmons Roberts's ten best books on civil war.
Writers Read: George Packer (July 2007).
--Marshal Zeringue
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