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Why I Write

4.09 of 5 stars 4.09 · rating details · 1,932 ratings · 146 reviews

Whether puncturing the lies of politicians, wittily dissecting the English character or telling unpalatable truths about war, Orwell's timeless, uncompromising essays are more relevant, entertaining and essential than ever in today's era of spin.

Paperback, 120 pages

Published September 6th 2005 by Penguin Books (first published July 1946)

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Jun 13, 2010 Elizabeth rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Elizabeth by: Emma Larkin

Shelves: 2010, essays, in-by-of-england, non-fiction, on-writing, reviewed

Note: I bought the wrong book. This is Penguin being cheap, awful, disingenuous, and any other insulting words that come to mind. They published four essays by Orwell under the same title as an earlier collection, which was almost entirely different.

What is the same is the title essay, Why I Write, which is something I love. I love reading (good) writers on writing, particularly why they do it, what it means to them, how it affect their lives, and what is different about writing personally and...more

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Jan 18, 2013 Kayla rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, essays, books-i-own

****UPDATE 18/01/2013******

Sartre's Essay 'What is writing?' in his book 'What is literature?' has put this selection of essays in context for me. It's forced me to contemplate aesthetic vs truth value in writing (I'm still in the camp which appreciates and is okay with literature being a mix of the two), and I now understand the relevance of the essays in the book I didn't before like being chosen for this title. Althout they're still not in line with what I like to think of 'writing' as a conc...more

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Apr 14, 2013 Mark O'Brien rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: essays, writing-resources

Each one of us has to decide what we want to do with the days that unfold, way too quickly. Orwell's penmanship cuts through the wordiness that only a man that knows what he wanted, where he was at, and where he wanted to go could achieve.

As a writer myself, I am on a journey where I also knew with a lighting-bolt shift in consciousness at 31 years of age that I was to write. And so my eyes still in a soft thrill, when I find a writer that I can learn from, to understand me, my craft, and life b...more

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Mar 30, 2012 Kevin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: political-non-fiction, autobiographical

George Orwell explains his main motivations for writing in these four essays, which are included in the Penguin Great Ideas box set. Basically, he always knew that he would become a writer and his life experiences shaped him, all stemming from when he lived in Burma and saw the injustices of the Imperial Administration that he served as a policeman under. This led George Orwell to become a Socialist, or rather a Democratic Socialist and his journalism exposes the injustices of the system that he...more George Orwell explains his main motivations for writing in these four essays, which are included in the Penguin Great Ideas box set. Basically, he always knew that he would become a writer and his life experiences shaped him, all stemming from when he lived in Burma and saw the injustices of the Imperial Administration that he served as a policeman under. This led George Orwell to become a Socialist, or rather a Democratic Socialist and his journalism exposes the injustices of the system that he lived under, especially during the inter-war years. His main novels, or at least the ones we most remember him for, were crafted later in his life (Animal Farm and 1984), and really his later beliefs were all shaped during the Spanish Civil War and his subsequent disillusionment that he experienced having witnessed the suppression of the 'dissident' POUM and CNT-FAI by the Communists. He explains that:

"The Spanish war and other events in 1936-7 turned the scale and thereafter I knew where I stood. Every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been written, directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism and for democratic socialism, as I understand it."

He explains that because of the tumultuous era that he was living in, witnessing the Spanish Civil War, the Great Depression, the Second World War and the rise of political extremes, no one really could not escape from writing about those times very neutrally, unless you wrote pure descriptive scenes that was totally devoid of anything substantial. 'The Lion and the Unicorn', the second essay in this pamphlet, is George Orwells 'mission statement' - it was written during the Blitz and in it he states that the only way for England to win this war was for a revolution to happen in the UK. It goes into serious depth about the nature of 'Englishness' (rather than 'Britishness') and Patriotism, and he sets out a blueprint on how the war could be won as well as what type of society was needed after the war (i.e some sort of 'English' Socialism). Its interesting that he also attacks the left-wing intelligentsia in England as well as the Tory right. Both he argues were bringing the country down and he also believes that Marxism (that he describes as a German theory realised by Russia) would not work here along with its polar-opposite, Fascism. This is quite a hefty essay that saw his ideas never actually came true although he was right to say that after the war there would be some sort of social change, and there was with the establishment of the Welfare State and the Labour election victory, although there was no revolution.

If you wanted to know how Orwells description of a dystopian society that 1984 portrays was developed, what shaped this writers ideas, then this pamphlet would suffice. I think that his later ideas stemmed from what he experienced in Spain (as my quote states) and that he actually became fearful of Russian Marxism later on in his life. Interesting little read.
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Nov 19, 2007 César rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people interested in politics of writing or orwell

Shelves: essays

the first thing to know about this collection of essays by george orwell is that it would have been better titled "on writing," because this is NOT about why orwell wrote, as teh title implies. except perhaps for the section of the title essay in which he discusses the four motivations that he believes exist for writing, this book is not about orwell's motivations. the most personalized section of the any of these essays consists of a few pages in which orwell remembers his earliest childhood wr...more

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Sep 27, 2007 Henry Manampiring rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: English people or those with interest in political language

A collection of essays from the guy invented 'doublespeak', 'groupthink', 'Big Brother', whose own name is immortalized into the English language ('Orwellian').

Roughly 80% of the book is about the English people and its political dynamics during WWII. Unless you have interest in the subject AND have the slightest familiarity with the histirical context, you will waste your time.

The last 20% of the book is actually rare gem. One is Orwell's eye-witness account of a hanging when he was posted in B...more

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May 04, 2008 Sarah Canavan rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: creative minds.

i thought this was really interesting. i love the way that orwell lists everything out before he starts to really get to his point. i feel thats the way that most logical thoughts form anyway. i think he makes a really strong argument for why people do the things they do, be it writing or not. how they grow up and where they find the most affirmation. his numbered reasons for writing really remind me of why any human would have motivation to do anything creative really. sometimes the fear of any...more

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Oct 03, 2012 Choonghwan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Essays of my favorite writer.

Why i write

He is very straightforward about what is real motivations of writing. First comes, to my surprise, sheer egoism. Second comes aesthetic enthusiasm of which, I think, some writers are badly deficient. Historical impulse comes third. The last but not the least, every writing comes with political purpose.

The lion and the unicorn

He can be, somehow, categorized as a socialist. However he differs widely from a theory with down-to-earth application of socialism...more
Essays of my favorite writer.

Why i write

He is very straightforward about what is real motivations of writing. First comes, to my surprise, sheer egoism. Second comes aesthetic enthusiasm of which, I think, some writers are badly deficient. Historical impulse comes third. The last but not the least, every writing comes with political purpose.

The lion and the unicorn

He can be, somehow, categorized as a socialist. However he differs widely from a theory with down-to-earth application of socialism. He puts patriotism, if not nationalism, ahead of borderless fraternity, admits income gaps of up-to ten folds, is against wholesale nationalization of economy leaving private interest to do what it can best do. He is equally critical of both the Labour Party for indulging in status-quo and communists for shutting eyes to realities.

When he wrote this essay in 1940, Britain was in dire situation against German invasion. She had ill prepared imminent, unavoidable clash with Germany, not been able to mobilize the country when the war had broken out. He was rightly concerned that British capitalism was powerless and in disarray when Fascism was in full swing turning Germany into a colossus war machine by harnessing and combining capitalist production on one hand and totalitarian mobilization on the other. Orwell thought only his version of socialism could provide solidarity behind which all Britons could rally and means to pool all her resource to counter German onslaught. And the war might be a godsend for the socialist revolution which had been elusive to materialize due to vested interests and lack of compelling reasons.

He might have been proved true, not that for American involvement and German military fiasco on her eastern front. Capitalism as we know today has evolved greatly in the wake of WWII: setting free colonies, bridling a free-for-all version of the pre-war capitalism, broadening well-fare to masses. His ideas were vindicated in a broad sense indeed.
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Jan 08, 2012 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: craft_and_criticism, history, memoir-biography

The real reason to read this wee collection are the two essays that open and close the book—the first a modest piece on Orwell's evolution as a writer, and the last the always-briskly-insightful "Politics and the English Language," which does so much in its sixteen pages. It doesn't quite wholly debunk the flabby political writing that fills the editorial pages. It's the sort of essay that should be read in concert with Strunk and White and other sharp-eyed primers on clear writing.

The middle p...more

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Jul 28, 2011 Suncan Stone added it

A dinky book consisting of four very different texts.
1. Why I write is a short discourse in the reasons behind it. A few interesting ideas, but have a feeling it would not be published if it was written by John Smith.
2. The lion and the unicorn was probably my favourite, for it reveals a very socioloigical mind Orwell had. It suddenly becomes clear how well he studied the system and his surroundings for 1984 and animal farm...
3. A hanging is as short story like text which leaves you pondering i...more

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Jun 26, 2011 David rated it 5 of 5 stars

Ok, I was writing up the review on The Spell, and realized it was Orwell's birthday ( actually maybe yesterday?) , I recalled that i had a version of this given to me by teacher, Robin Reisig, and thought it worth a visit. Especially now.
Possibly looking for inspiration.
I remember I read this last, ages ago while the waiting of the Law + Order set on Chelsea Pier. A stage manager who had helped me wipe out the puzzle (who knew that Tabasco wasn't just a sauce but a place!), she asked me if I h...more

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May 25, 2011 Ugh rated it 4 of 5 stars

I write this review a little warily, having just read an empassioned plea for clear use of language...

I liked this a lot. The longest of the essays is now quite dated, but it remains very interesting and informative. One of the others is fair, and the remaining two are delightful. I enjoy Orwell's non-fiction writing very much and intend to read more - this is the best 'great ideas' I've read yet.

I think that reads plainly?

Favourite quote: What this war has demonstrated is that private capitalis...more

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Mar 01, 2011 Alice rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-club, great-ideas-series

A collection of four essays by Orwell which are as relevant today as they were in the 1930s and 1940s. "Why I write" describes the selfish or at least self-centered motivations for writing, none the least of which is money; a fact we academics like to ignore. "The Lion and the Unicorn" is immature at the same time is to wise. Orwell's critique of Britain, sometimes scathing and often harsh, is down to earth and realistic. However, it is discordant with his idealistic socialist vision of the futu...more

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Jan 25, 2011 Helen rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is an insightful collection of essays on writing. Orwell lists four "great" motives for writing in the first essay Why I Write and he goes on to acknowledge these motivators may exist in varying degrees for individual writers. The motivators are:

i.sheer egoism
ii.aesthetic enthusiasm
iii.historical impulse
iv.political purpose

Orwell writes at the end of the essay that "good prose is like a window pane." In my opinion, the best example of a window into Orwell's "writing" world is to be found by...more

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May 21, 2010 Patrick rated it 5 of 5 stars

What I glean from this book is a few samples of George Orwell's writings and essays.

My favorite is The Hanging in which he reports on an execution of a man in India. It is like all his works, written in precise, direct and clear style, something that I need to work on in my own novels. It tells of the hairbreath difference of life and death, the margin of a second between the convict standing on a trap and before the platform opens and he drops. There is something very dark and powerful in the...more

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Jan 08, 2010 pinknantucket rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ms-readathon-2006

This books is actually made up of four of Orwell’s essays, of which “Why I write” is the first and one of the shortest. The longest, which makes up the bulk of this volume, is called “The Lion and the Unicorn” and is a call for the reform of England’s system of government. Orwell wrote this essay in 1940, during the World War II, and it is interesting to compare Orwell’s hopes for the transformation of England (and of other countries) to the changes that actually occurred. I think Orwell would h...more

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Jun 13, 2009 F.R. rated it 4 of 5 stars

I received this slim book (a pamphlet really) of four Orwell essays for my birthday earlier this year and am immensely glad of the fact.

The first of the collection is 'Why I Write', in which Orwell - in beautifully clear prose - examines what really drives writers. There was so much in these ten pages I could empathise with, particularly: "All writers are vain, selfish and lazy, and at the very bottom of their motives there lies a mystery.'

Next is the most substantial essay of the collection, 'T...more

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Dec 11, 2008 Bibliophyledude rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Politically inclined, curious individuals who want to learn how to invoke imagery through writing

I have read George Orwell’s two most famous books 1984 and Animal Farm. These two books have forever reworked the way I approach politics in general. George Orwell’s understanding of political language and language in general allowed him to completely comprehend how political mechanisms operate. “Why I Write” is a collection of four literary works written by George Orwell. The four pieces are “Why I Write”, “The Lion and the Unicorn”, “Politics and the English Language”, and “A Hanging”.
This fi...more I have read George Orwell’s two most famous books 1984 and Animal Farm. These two books have forever reworked the way I approach politics in general. George Orwell’s understanding of political language and language in general allowed him to completely comprehend how political mechanisms operate. “Why I Write” is a collection of four literary works written by George Orwell. The four pieces are “Why I Write”, “The Lion and the Unicorn”, “Politics and the English Language”, and “A Hanging”.
This first essay in the book, “Why I Write”, gives a personal account of George Orwell’s entry into the writing world. He always knew he would write books from an early age even though he fought his innate proclivity until his late 20’s. This essay gives insight to what motivates a writer and what motivated Orwell himself.
The second essay, “The Lion and the Unicorn”, is a detailed description of the English character and sense of unifying patriotism. Also, Orwell gives reason of how necessary it was of the English to adopt an economic solution of democratic socialism during the depths of World War II. “The Lion and the Unicorn” is the most strenuous to read of all the essays in the book. One must have a background of social and political awareness to have the patience to read this essay. Overall, it is enlightening. Once finally read, the particulars of the social and political phenomena during the challenging era of WWII will be clearer to the reader.
The third essay, “A Hanging”, is a short exhibition of Orwell’s descriptive language and is enjoyable to read. This essay is perfect way to introduce Orwell’s guide to writing in the next esasy.
The last essay, “Politics and the English Language”, is a guide to how to write effectively and how to avoid ugly writing. This essay is the most interesting to me. He gives a list of tips or rules on how to avoid writing that has so imaginative appeal. If writers followed his words of advice, which are pretty basic, their works will have higher value.
This book is highly insightful. If you like Orwell’s famous works you should read this book. It gives a very basic way of writing that, if followed, will improve your writing.
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Feb 24, 2010 Laala Alghata rated it 4 of 5 stars

“No book is genuinely free from political bias. The opinion that art should have nothing to do with politics is itself a political attitude,” George Orwell, Why I Write

The above photograph is at a particularly delicious meal. Anyway. If you buy this edition, bear this in mind: it is largely not about writing. Penguin used that title to lure suckers like me who want to know about Orwell, why he began writing or how he writes. It is a collection of four essays: Why I Write, The Lion and the Unicor...more “No book is genuinely free from political bias. The opinion that art should have nothing to do with politics is itself a political attitude,” George Orwell, Why I Write

The above photograph is at a particularly delicious meal. Anyway. If you buy this edition, bear this in mind: it is largely not about writing. Penguin used that title to lure suckers like me who want to know about Orwell, why he began writing or how he writes. It is a collection of four essays: Why I Write, The Lion and the Unicorn, A Hanging and Politics and the English Language.

The longest essay, which makes up the bulk of the book is The Lion and the Unicorn. Orwell was notoriously political, an advocate of democratic socialism. In this essay (written in 1940), he writes about the inadequacies of England as a political entity, the deeply ingrained class divides and the problems with the way the country is run. He was of the belief that because they were already at war, they should let this unearth everything that’s wrong about the country, from education to the electoral system, and fix it. He had a deep, deep disdain of the idle rich, and of inherited advantages in education. I found it interesting, and Orwell has a frank, direct approach to writing essays, so it’s not at all difficult to follow. That said, had I realised what I was going to be reading, I probably wouldn’t have bought it. A Hanging documents witnessing the hanging of an Indian prisoner, and the emotions that run through him as it happens — both the realisation for the first time that there was something inherently wrong with ending someone’s life prematurely, and the relief that shudders through him afterward when the man dies quickly.

The essays I was interested in, though, were Why I Write and Politics and the English Language. The former briefly goes over Orwell’s life and when he began writing. I liked it a lot. However, the one that really grabbed me by the throat was Politics and the English Language. I am firmly of the belief that everyone should be forced to read this essay. It’s a wonderful expression of thoughts that have crossed all our minds about written English — and sometimes even spoken English. He talks about the decay of the language, and how people (especially in academic and medical journals, essays, journalism and such) use too many dead metaphors, pad their sentences, use Latin or Greek root words when Anglo-Saxon words would suffice, import from different languages to appear cultured etc. Honestly, read it. It’s not long and it is completely right.(less)

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Mar 12, 2009 Michael VanZandt rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book is a collection of four essays, teasingly titled "Why I Write" which is the namesake of the first essay. The others, "The Lion and the Unicorn: Socialism and the English Genius", "The Hanging" and "Politics and the English Language", rise and fall, at times, hitting inspirational heights and, at others, languishing in jingoism and semantics. For sure, Orwell hits moments of brilliance. I was stunned by his fierce intellectual independence and journalistic courage. "Why I Write", a fant...more This book is a collection of four essays, teasingly titled "Why I Write" which is the namesake of the first essay. The others, "The Lion and the Unicorn: Socialism and the English Genius", "The Hanging" and "Politics and the English Language", rise and fall, at times, hitting inspirational heights and, at others, languishing in jingoism and semantics. For sure, Orwell hits moments of brilliance. I was stunned by his fierce intellectual independence and journalistic courage. "Why I Write", a fantastic ten-page essay, fit for anyone with the writing bug, serves up the bravado of a frustrated dissident with a taste for egoism, aesthetics, history and politics. He writes reflecting on the Spanish Civil War, in which he participated, and wrote the famous first-person account "Homage to Catalonia." He wrote the second and longest, "The Lion and the Unicorn", six years earlier, in 1940 at a much more dire time. As he begins in the opening lines, the bombs of the Luftwaffe were descending upon London. The men inside he found no different from any other. Orwell spends the essay discerning on the national character, but also exposing the incompetence, cronyism, intellectual indifference and collusion of the British ruling class with totalitarianism. Where have I heard this before? Sounds so familiar. It was fascinating reading this from a moral touchstone, such as Orwell, at that point of British history, as the Empire was crumbling and its financial might, more illusion than reality. Here we are, their inheritors, teetering on the precipice. The cliff may be a different one, but the path to it seem identical. "The Hanging" is chilling journalism. Orwell maintains a straight face with his peers, holding course through the execution of a Burmese Hindu, while empathizing with the main walking to the gallows. The last essay, which I had much hope for, fell on deaf ears. I felt it too dated, and wished that a more fitting essay was put in the book. A good, quick read for any Orwell fan.(less)

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Dec 13, 2011 Justin Evans rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: essays

I feel bad giving this three stars, since three of these essays are fabulous. Unfortunately, 84 pages of this short book are taken up with 'The Lion and the Unicorn,' which is borderline interesting for about 20 pages and wrong, poorly written, repetitive or dull for the rest of them.

Despite all that, it'd be a much better world if high school students were required to read these essays rather than a bad (atrocious, actually) novel about pigs, or 1984. Orwell is much, much better as an essayist...more

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Sep 04, 2011 Shovelmonkey1 rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Orwell fans and people who like political history

Shelves: read-in-2011, clear-unparalleled-genius

Sometimes it would be nice to get a little closer to the author of your favourite books. See things a little more from their perspective and, you know, really get inside their heads. There are various approaches which can be taken in order to achieve this. Isabelle Arundell was quite a big fan of the work produced by writer, explorer and all round fantasy-adventurer Richard Burton. She achieved closeness by monitoring his globe trotting adventures, hanging out in part of London which he frequent...more Sometimes it would be nice to get a little closer to the author of your favourite books. See things a little more from their perspective and, you know, really get inside their heads. There are various approaches which can be taken in order to achieve this. Isabelle Arundell was quite a big fan of the work produced by writer, explorer and all round fantasy-adventurer Richard Burton. She achieved closeness by monitoring his globe trotting adventures, hanging out in part of London which he frequented, reading all his books and eventually all this hard work paid off and she married him. Score! Of course this process took approximately ten years so unless you have a large savings account and the patience of a saint then this approach may not be for you.

There's also the Anne Wilkes in Misery approach. The eponymous film (and yes, I know it was a book first and foremost, before anyone comments!) starring James Caan showcased the best and most psychopathic way of bagging your own literary super star. Admittedly a lot of this relied purely on chance... Wilkes simply lucked out when author Paul Sheldon drunkenly "parks" his car in a giant snowdrift and she's the only one around to help. However, lopping off the limbs of your favourite writers is probably not the best way to ingratiate yourself or secure a starring role in their next book. Particularly if you're fond of chopping off their typing fingers.

Option number three is to get hold of an authors essays- in this case, George Orwell's "Why I write". If you're a fan of all things Orwellian then this is great little book which provides a framework for his literary life; experiences and ideas that Orwell used to create some of his literary masterpieces including 1984, Animal Farm and The Road to Wigan Pier. The four essays contained within this book (Why I write, The Lion and the Unicorn, A Hanging and Politics and the English Language) provide intriguing insights into Orwell's life experiences including the development of his political ideology in the 1930s and 1940s, his time in Burma and a short and personal discussion on the decrepitude of the English Language (if only he'd lived to see how much more bloody the butchering of the English Language has become). Short, informative and excellent.

However, if none of the above appeal to you and you're not prepared to read essays or simply wait for your favourite author to conveniently drop into your lap then perhaps hanging around outside Waterstones with a sack, some duct tape and hopeful look on your face is a better route.(less)

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Feb 16, 2013 Jennifer DeJonghe rated it 5 of 5 stars

I will agree with other reviewers that this collection of essays was poorly named, and that the jacket blurbs were misleading. However, all four pieces were excellent and worked very well together. My suggestion to readers is to read "Why I Write" and "Politics and the English Language" first, followed by "The Lion and the Unicorn" and "The Hanging".

In the title essay "Why I Write", Orwell discusses his own motivations for writing, and in particular his reasons for writing in a political manner....more

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Mar 20, 2012 Alison rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a thin collection of four of Orwell's most popular essays, and includes the classic "Why I Write." I hope all writers will at least glance through that one essay in particualr, since it explains Orwell's psychology, delving into his lifelong belief that he would someday be a writer. Since he fought this perception and belief, and actively tried not to write, I think that it's important to know why he finally decided he had to write, that to not write was to deny his "true nature."

The...more

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Jun 25, 2012 Simon Bendle rated it 5 of 5 stars

I love George Orwell. He gives it to you straight. Here are a few quotes from this fine little collection of his essays, several of which I have read and enjoyed many times before:

On patriotism: “Patriotism has nothing do with Conservatism. It is actually the opposite of Conservatism, since it is a devotion to something that is always changing and yet is felt to be mystically the same. It is the bridge between the future and the past.”

On nationalism: “One must admit that the divisions between n...more

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Aug 31, 2008 Michelle rated it 2 of 5 stars

I liked the first chapter which was actually about Why [he] Writes. Then someone smacked together a few other short things Orwell wrote and put them under the title Why I Write, when in fact he is examining the evils of capitalism and future of socialism, and a few other unrelated topics.

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Jul 12, 2010 Nadin Soliman rated it 4 of 5 stars

I love Orwell PERIOD

this book though was so misleading in title like a previous review suggested it might have worked well with : On writing

I think i need to have my time to grasp all the ideas in this book

It contained some BORING articles (for a not English, not interested in history person)but others that were so true for any human being not an English man necessarily as Orwell claimed (or maybe the Egyptian people really got affected by the British colonization)

His article about language and...more

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Jul 27, 2011 Apryl Anderson rated it 2 of 5 stars

Orwell wrote because he was a truly angry man. Charles Dickens, P G Wodehouse and G K Chesterton have said essentially the same thing, but with laughter instead of spite. All of them could identify with the woes of man, but knowing that this is the typical disordered state of things, they chose to let go and let God, rather than bemoan the evil conundrum. Are we apeased, justified, justifiably enraged? What will I change because Orwell has told the truth? I will not wrestle for words, but let th...more

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Aug 10, 2011 Seif Salama rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This little book contains three fabulous essays and a story by the greatest essayist of the last century. The title "Why I Write" is also the title of the first essay. These essays represent types as well as specific writings- types that can be found in other essay collections. This little book reveals Orwell's lost legacy as an essayist and journalist which has been overshadowed by his novels.

Why I Write: Why did Orwell occupy his life with writing? His early childhood was punctuated with poet...more This little book contains three fabulous essays and a story by the greatest essayist of the last century. The title "Why I Write" is also the title of the first essay. These essays represent types as well as specific writings- types that can be found in other essay collections. This little book reveals Orwell's lost legacy as an essayist and journalist which has been overshadowed by his novels.

Why I Write: Why did Orwell occupy his life with writing? His early childhood was punctuated with poetry from the age of four and ended with high school editing. I have tried to find these early writings but,alas,have failed to find anything earlier than 1920...seventeen in Orwell years. Orwell gives us insights into the reasons he writes: his ego, historical documentation, political influence (unavoidable for the citizens of the Twentieth Century according to Orwell), and ascetic impulse. Orwell, in a letter, once described himself as a "half intellectual" who avoided abstraction; here he tells us that he is concerned only with material things and "the surface of the earth."

The earthiness of Orwell's writing lead to a humble, direct style of writing that is exemplified in his essays on society. England Your England closely resembles another essay not in this book: My Country Right or Left.

England Your England discusses the changes and characteristics of England at war. The crumbling British Empire with its useless class peerage system is seen as doomed not only by a possible Nazi victory but the technocracy created by a large, growing middle class. England is seen as incipient revolutionary society with an expected upheaval in "six months to a year" from 1940- which could not be stopped unless England was invaded. In "My Country" the revolution was also incipient but would be marked by "Red militias at the Ritz" and "bloody London gutters." One revolution by the supplanting of the peerage class and yet the other as an old style proletarian uprising. The Labor Party gets short mention as being pro-capitalist since it depends on rising wages to placate union members who support the party.

The reality was the election of Winston Churchill and the Tories during the War, the post war victory of Attlee's Labor Party and the creation of the welfare state by the same middle class Orwell mentions in this essay...hardly a revolution.

A Hanging: The closest Orwell gets to Camus' The Stranger. A policeman observes the execution of a Burmese Hindu who dies for unknown reasons. The doomed man politely avoids a puddle before he hangs and a lone dog seems prescient about the coming death. The brutal administration of Burma was no resort hotel job...did Orwell know more about the execution than he writes about?

Politics and the English Language: A typical Orwell language essay. Often quoted in relation to totalitarianism. Orwell tells us that language molds thought and that " changing language will change the political climate". We are introduced to examples of bad writing and given specific rules for avoiding wasted thought "the scrapping of every word or idiom which has outworn its usefulness." Eliminating useless metaphors, operators, pretentious diction and meaningless words will change the thought life of politics and avoid the Newspeak of Big Brother.

One wonders what the pro-life Orwell would have said about the political cant on the abortion issue? Would he fairly call both sides pro-life or prochoice? Would he detect the media bias of only using "anti-abortion" to describe pro-lifer(s) while calling the other side prochoice?

Would Orwell see the internet as a manifestation of Big Brother? Interesting questions.

The essays are good and the book is worth a good commute reading. These are light and nimble essays-well written, but in the case of the social essays, not very deep. The "half intellectual" had a gift of clarity which has weathered the decades since the mid-Twentieth Century, yet his heart belonged to another time. (less)

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Feb 17, 2010 Joyce rated it 4 of 5 stars

I did not really appreciate "Animal Farm" until I read this series of essays. If you want to make political commentary, in my opinion, that's what you should do, rather than make pigs look bad. After reading "Why I Write," I understand Orwell's rationale. In addition to the title essay, there are some others that comment on the state of affairs in Europe pre during and post-WWII. While it's always easy to do Monday-morning quarterbacking, Orwell says a few things that needed to be said, and he's...more

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About George Orwell

Eric Arthur Blair, better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist. His work is marked by keen intelligence and wit, a profound awareness of social injustice, an intense opposition to totalitarianism, a passion for clarity in language, and a belief in democratic socialism.

Considered perhaps the twentieth century's best chronicler of English culture, Orwell wrote fi...more

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“So long as I remain alive and well I shall continue to feel strongly about prose style, to love the surface of the earth, and to take a pleasure in solid objects and scraps of useless information.” — 49 people liked it

“All the papers that matter live off their advertisements, and the advertisers exercise an indirect censorship over news.” — 22 people liked it

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