John Steinbeck, George Orwell and Russell Brand

On the plane I read an old book I've had on my shelf for a long time: "The Moon Is Down" by John Steinbeck. This book has the simplest grammar and vocabulary of any book I have read that wasn't a graded reader for learners of English, or children learning to read. I admire John Steinbeck because he compromised between his talent and his desire to be read by the people - the people who were the ordinary Joes who fought in the war, and the marginalised people he gave a voice to in "Cannery Row".Previous entry on Cannery Row . well, perhaps he didn't compromise, perhaps he just adapted his talent, so that anyone could read his books, and when Pan sucked the readers in by giving the cheap paperbacks sexy covers, he probably didn't mind.

anyway,this short novel is on the theme of the bravery of citizens when their land is invaded by the Germans - not the   French but the Norwegians - how each individual makes up his/her mind about collusion and how the   invaders feel about their position as unwelcome strangers - Steinbeck treats them quite sympathetically : he knew folks are just folks.

Another writer who adapted his style to write for a mass readership was George Orwell. "Animal Farm" and "1984" are books designed to teach you something, without the writer giving you a sermon. He gives you a parable or analogy instead, something you can understand. In his journalism Orwell disciplined himself to write in words that anyone could understand. If you are reading this and you have not read any books by George Orwell I urge you to read "Animal Farm" as an example. His vocation was to communicate with people who did not have the benefit of a good education - Orwell went to Eton and that is generally recognised as a "good" education- (the teaching is excellent but there are no girls - is that a problem?)

Orwell came into my mind because I was reading "Revolution" by Russell Brand, and he quotes from "Homage to Catalonia" which is Orwell's account of his involvement in the Spanish Civil War. He quotes several passages so you get the flavour of Orwell's absolutely plain prose.

In outward appearance it was a town in which the wealthy classes had ceased to exist. Except for a small number of women and foreigners there were no "well-dressed" people at all. Practically everyone wore rough working-class clothes or some variant of militia uniform. All this was queer and moving.

Russell Brand cannot do this. He cannot let go of his desire to show off all that he knows, all the polysyllabic code that allows him to move amongst the intellectuals, but neither can he let slip all the buffoonery and the obscenity that marks his status as a top streetwise guy. The mixture should be fun and interesting, and to a certain extent it is, but there were many jarring notes in this work, the sort of discordant lack of taste that makes something abhorrent to me. Of course this is my opinion only. For readers of English as a foreign language this book is completely incomprehensible as it is written in a mixture of codes which are all sophisticated ones.