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Why I Write is an essay on writing and motivation by George Orwell. Summary of the Book George Orwell is largely considered one of the most profound writers of the twentieth century. However, most people only know him for his books Animal Farm and 1984. Yet, it is in his essays that Orwell comes across as his true self. In this, his most famous essay, he writes about his greatest passion: the art of writing. He speaks about the journey which motivated him to take up writing. In a way, it is an autobiography, delving into his mind. He explains why all writers indulge in the art of writing, listing the four great motives: sheer egoism, aesthetic enthusiasm, historical impulse and political purpose. He also explains how he became a political writer, citing the Spanish War as the defining moment in the history of his political writing. He also speaks of his image as a pamphleteer, and of his affinity for writing about politics and political change. He reveals that he enjoys writing on politics far more than he enjoys fiction, and that his motivation for writing is sheer political purpose. About George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair, better known to the world as George Orwell, was an English essayist, novelist and journalist. He is mostly remembered for his novels Animal Farm, Homage to Catalonia and 1984. He is considered to have inspired much of the late twentieth century dystopian culture, in fact, his work is considered so definitive that the world Orwellian has entered the language merely to describe totalitarian or authoritarian social practices.