100 Books in 2018

29/ why i write by george orwell

read: 09.04.18 - 15.04.18

book: Why I Write

author: George Orwell

blurb: 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.

review: The actual essay 'Why I Write' only makes up 11 or so pages of this anthology of essays, but I still found it really interesting to hear a writer talk about their inspiration and why they began to write. I really like his style of essay-writing, it is very fluid and descriptive which makes the content easier to focus on and soak in.

The main bulk of this book was an essay on WW2 and how it was affecting Britain, nationality, and socialism and for me this was both interesting but also very time-consuming. It's not an overly long essay (around 90 pages), but it was quite dense at points to get through and required a lot of background knowledge which I wouldn't have had if I hadn't studied the war in detail at school. As well as this, Orwell was not afraid to shove opinions down the readers' throat and I was a little put-off by the manner which he spoke about certain things.

Overall it was an interesting read, and has definitely made me want to read more of his essays and other works.

rating: 7/10