Things I Don't Want to Know

Things I Don't Want to Know is Deborah Levy's response to George Orwell's essay "Why I Write." The book functions as both a writing manifesto and a memoir, structured around Orwell's four motives for writing: political purpose, historical impulse, sheer egoism, and aesthetic enthusiasm. Through a series of personal episodes, Levy traces her development as a writer from childhood in South Africa to her adult life in England. She recounts formative experiences during apartheid, her father's imprisonment, her family's exile to London, and a later trip to Mallorca during a period of personal crisis. The narrative moves between past and present while examining the intersection of writing, memory, language, and identity. Levy connects private moments to broader political and social contexts that shaped her perspective as an author. This work explores how trauma and displacement influence creative expression, and the ways writing can serve as both political resistance and personal reclamation. The book stands as a meditation on the forces that compel someone to put words on paper, despite the difficulties and costs involved.

Readers appreciate Levy's raw honesty about personal struggles and her exploration of what drives people to write. Many note the book's poetic language and ability to weave political themes with personal narrative. Several reviews highlight the South Africa sections as particularly memorable. Common criticisms include the book's fragmented structure and occasional opacity. Some readers found the narrative too disjointed, while others wanted more depth in certain sections. A few reviews mention the brevity as both a strength and weakness. "Her words hit like precise darts" writes one Goodreads reviewer, while another notes "It left me wanting more substance." Ratings: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (2,800+ ratings) Amazon: 4.3/5 (150+ ratings) LibraryThing: 4.1/5 (100+ ratings) The slim memoir connects most strongly with writers and those interested in creative motivation, according to review patterns. Readers seeking a traditional linear narrative express more disappointment.

Intimations by Zadie Smith A collection of personal essays explores displacement, identity, and writing through the lens of contemporary political upheaval.

The Cost of Living by Rachel Cusk A memoir in essays charts the reconstruction of life following divorce while examining female freedom and creative identity.

M Train by Patti Smith Through cafes, travels, and memories, a writer documents her solitary journeys and literary pilgrimages.

Notes to Self by Emilie Pine Personal essays confront family illness, infertility, and academic life within the framework of feminist experience.

I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O'Farrell A memoir told through seventeen near-death experiences reveals the relationship between mortality and writing life.

📚 "Things I Don't Want to Know" is structured as a response to George Orwell's 1946 essay "Why I Write," following his four key motifs: political purpose, historical impulse, personal experience, and aesthetic enthusiasm. 🌍 The memoir unfolds across three significant locations in Levy's life: Mallorca, where she confronts her depression; South Africa, where she recalls her childhood during apartheid; and England, where she developed her voice as a writer. ✍️ Deborah Levy wrote this book at age 50, marking it as the first installment in what would become her "living autobiography" trilogy, followed by "The Cost of Living" and "Real Estate." 🏆 Despite its modest length at around 130 pages, the book has received significant critical acclaim and was supported by a fellowship from the Royal Society of Literature. 🎭 Before focusing on prose writing, Levy worked extensively in theater for two decades, writing and producing plays for the Royal Shakespeare Company, and this theatrical background influences her memoir's vivid, scene-driven structure.