Why I Write
Why I Write by George Orwellby George Orwell
Ranked 2 of 10 essay collections by recommenders
Readers praise Orwell's clear writing and critical thinking in these essays, and say they resonate with how he wrote. One reader struggled with a racist claim in the collection.
Readers praise Orwell's clear writing and critical thinking in these essays, and say they resonate with how he wrote. One reader struggled with a racist claim in the collection.
6 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 6
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 6 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Racist claim troubled a reader
“An important collection of essays but I struggled to get over his racist claim”
Comment from 24 Apr 2026 in “Why I Write (1946)”
Other essay collections people recommend
The four most recommended other essay collections, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slouching Towards Bethlehemby Joan Didion | 8 | 1 | 89% | 3 | — | — |
| Why I Writeby George OrwellThis page | 6 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
| Letters to a Young Poetby Rainer Maria Rilke | 5 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | — |
| Paul Graham essays | 5 | 7 | 42% | 3 | — | — |
| Metamagical Themasby Douglas Hofstadter | 4 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
What people said
5 of the 6 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“on critical thinking and clear communication”
“An important collection of essays but I struggled to get over his racist claim”
“This resonates so strongly with me. Everything he wrote about how he wrote in his youth”
“yes, this Orwell chap might have something about him!”
“I think I haven't been exposed to such a good writing in years.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.