Details

Buy it now from Amazon

Why I Write (Penguin Great Ideas)

Penguin (Non-Classics)

List price: $10.00
Lowest new price: $3.98
Lowest used price: $0.89

Average customer rating: 4 stars

Not all the essays listed on the product page

This is a great little volume of three of Orwell's essays (aka Eric Blair essays). Unfortunately the product description page give the impression that more than three essays are included.

Why I England

Don't be fooled by the title. _Why I Write_ is not a discussion on how Orwell writes, when he started writing, what young writers should know about writing, what veterans should do about their own writing, etc. You'll get a five-page blurb in the beginning about how he was compelled to write and about how he tried to shy away from his dream, and then you get a seven-page blurb at the end about what not to do when you write (e.g., don't use cliches, don't use more words than necessary, don't use a long word when a short word will do, etc.). The rest of it is a discussion about England, Germany, and the history of the times.

Don't get me wrong, the history is interesting, learning about countries and their characteristics and Orwell's thoughts on politics at the time. We learn about British habits and how the meaning of the word "Fascism" has changed from what it originally meant. But we don't learn anything about what we thought the book would be about: Writing.

Flip past page 11 to find out whether or not to buy this book. If you don't like that stuff, just read the beginning and the end. Save yourself the money. And if you're looking for a book that's actually about creative writing, go for King's _On Writing_ or Bradbury's _Zen in the Art of Writing_.

Pocket-sized Orwell

Why I Write (Penguin Great Ideas)
Like other releases in the Penguin "Great Ideas" series, this edition of Orwell's essays will fit easily into a purse or a hip pocket. That, plus the fact that it is priced to fit its brevity (120 small pages), makes it an attractive product. Carry it around with you for no more than a few days and in your spare time fit in between other activities you can read four of Orwell's most notable essays.

In the title essay, "Why I Write," he offers four possible reasons, but says that he had come around to just one in his serious efforts since the Spanish war of 1936-37: political purpose, against totalitarianism and for democratic socialism. He claims that where he previously lacked political motivation he wrote just humbug.

"The Lion and the Unicorn: Socialism and the English Genius" outlines Orwell's take on the character of the English people and his case for socialism. First published in 1940 when the future of England was in doubt, this essay holds historical interest. Certain of Orwell's opinions and forecasts now seem right on, but others off the mark. For example, he expresses too much confidence in the ability of the state to efficiently decide how much of what goods should be produced (though perhaps an understandable position in the face of war time shortages).

"A Hanging" describes exactly that, an event in Burma in about 1931. Some have questioned whether Orwell really witnessed this episode, but no matter, the pathos holds whether it is fact or fiction.

The final piece, "Politics and the English Language," exposes how political actors use language to mislead, quotes several passages illustrating certain "mental vices" writers often commit, and catalogs six rules for good writing (for instance, never use a long word where a short one will do). In these four selections Orwell mostly follows his own advice: the essays are exemplary in their clarity.

Question is: Why Should I Buy this particular "Why I write?" Compilation?

In evaluating "Why I write?," I am not evaluating Orwell: he is - in my opinion - beyond evaluation. Brilliant, unorthodox, humanistically transparent - he is a model of existential integrity. In evaluating "Why I write?" I am offering an evaluation of this particular compilation of essays. I am trying to answer the question of "Why should I buy the 'Why I write?'"

This particular compilation of Orwell's essays consists of "Why I write?," The Lion and the Unicorn," "A Hanging," and "Politics and the English Language." As you might have already gleaned from you search, the books of Orwell's essays are all over the market place. This one - consisting of four iconic essays - is a great primer.

The "Why I write?" humbles with introspection and humanistic self-acceptance. "The Lion and the Unicorn" showcases Orwell's keen journalism and the capacity to be on the outside of the phenomenon in question, even when that phenomenon is his own culture. "A Hanging" is a normalizing glimpse into how we deal with our own mortality superimposed onto a social statement against capital punishment. And the "Politics and the English Language" is a brilliant examination of the human consciousness, a study of the interplay of thought and language, an anti-dote to propoganda, a treasure trove of linguistic hypotheses, and, if nothing else, a useful commentary on the rationale behind the "1984" Newspeak and Doublethink.

As such, this particular collection of Orwell's essays reveals the breadth of his thematic spectrum - without the biographical weight of more exhaustive essay compilations.

Pavel Somov, Ph.D.

Author of "Eating the Moment: 141 Mindful Practices to Overcome Overeating One Meal at a Time" (New Harbinger, 2008)

Inside the mind of George Orwell

Here is your chance to go into the thoughts and political beliefs of the famous writer George Orwell with the filter of his fictional writings removed. This work contains four short essays. In the first essay "Why I write" you really get an understanding of the man and his motivations to write. He is very candid in this essay and you get to know the man behind "Animal Farm" and "1984".

In his second essay "The Lion and the Unicorn" he lays bare his political beliefs. In this short work he lays out his thoughts about Communism, Fascism, and Socialism and the struggle between them in England during World War II. What I really liked about this essay is that he wrote it while bombs were falling on London and with the outcome of World War II still undecided. While I strongly disagree with Orwell's Socialist ideals, they may have been more appropriate for his time period in his country. I enjoyed reading his opinions and learning about the social situation at that time in history.

His third very brief essay tells about his witness to a hanging in Burma.

The final essay is excellent in its examples of how in his time writers using the English language were drifting away from clarity and into using metaphors, similes, and figures of speech. He calls for a return to the clear and precise use of the language. He writes of six rules that will make that happen.

If you enjoy George Orwell's writings, I believe you will enjoy this book.