Why I Write (Unabridged)

“All writers are vain, selfish, and lazy, and at the very bottom of their motives there lies a mystery.”

In this 1946 essay, George Orwell discusses his personal journey to becoming a writer. With brutal honesty and biting clarity, Why I Write charts his evolution as a writer and sets out the driving forces behind his craft—politics, passion, preserving the truth and more than a dash of egotism—while offering a candid glimpse into his belief that all writing is inherently political, and that his own work is a weapon against injustice and authoritarianism.

Born Eric Arthur Blair, George Orwell (1903-1950) was a British novelist, essayist, and critic famous for his insightful social and political commentary. His personal engagement with real world issues imbues his work with a sense of social conscience that continues to resonate with readers, and his two most famous novels, Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four, continue to captivate audiences worldwide.