Summary
Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves—and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives—and destroyed them.
Now, Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization, and helped make us who we are. Penguin's Great Ideas series features twelve groundbreaking works by some of history's most prodigious thinkers, and each volume is beautifully packaged with a unique type-drive design that highlights the bookmaker's art. Offering great literature in great packages at great prices, this series is ideal for those readers who want to explore and savor the Great Ideas that have shaped the world.
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.
Details
- Title Why I Write
- Author George Orwell
- Binding Paperback
- Edition [ Edition: first
- Pages 128
- Volumes 1
- Language ENG
- Publisher Penguin Books, E Rutherford, New Jersey, U.S.A.
- Date 2005-09-06
- Features Table of Contents
- ISBN 9780143036357 / 0143036351
- Weight 0.2 lbs (0.09 kg)
- Dimensions 6.96 x 4.46 x 0.36 in (17.68 x 11.33 x 0.91 cm)
- Ages 18 to UP years
- Grade levels 13 - UP
-
Themes
- Chronological Period: 1900-1949
- Cultural Region: British
- Library of Congress subjects Authorship, Orwell, George - Authorship
- Library of Congress Catalog Number 2005047452
- Dewey Decimal Code 828.912
Excerpt
From a very early age, perhaps the age of five or six, I knew that when I grew up I should be a writer. Between the ages of about seventeen and twenty-four I tried to abandon this idea, but I did so with the consciousness that I was outraging my true nature and that sooner or later I should have to settle down and write books.
I was the middle child of three, but there was a gap of five years on either side, and I barely saw my father before I was eight. For this and other reasons I was somewhat lonely, and I soon developed disagreeable mannerisms which made me unpopular throughout my schooldays. I had the lonely child's habit of making up stories and holding conversations with imaginary persons, and I think from the very start my literary ambitions were mixed up with the feeling of being isolated and undervalued. I knew that I had a facility with words and a power of facing unpleasant facts, and I felt that this created a sort of private world in which I could get my own back for my failure in everyday life. Nevertheless the volume of serious - i.e. seriously intended - writing which I produced all through my childhood and boyhood would not amount to half a dozen pages. I wrote my first poem at the age of four or five, my mother taking it down to dictation.
Media reviews
Citations
- Ingram Advance, 09/01/2005, Page 97
- Library Journal, 10/01/2005, Page 122
- New York Review of Books, 03/12/2009, Page 17
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