In this letter, written from his remote home on the Isle of Jura, Orwell provides his friend, the novelist Anthony Powell, with a candid update on his life and work.
 
On Nineteen Eighty-Four: He states that the revision of his novel is "slow", describing the complete yet messy manuscript and the immense task of "typing a fair copy and wrestling it into shape." He uses a powerful metaphor for the effort, feeling like "a man trying to sculpt a statue from a block of granite with a penknife."
On Personal Matters: He comments on the foul weather and the isolation of Jura, contrasting it favorably with his leaky London flat. He mentions his son, Richard, is "thriving" there, and briefly notes that his recent journalistic work was a necessary distraction "to keep the money flowing."
Closing: He sends his love to Powell's wife, Violet, and hopes to be in London before the year's end, "if this damned book permits it."
 
This letter fits into the crucial period in 1948 when Orwell, in rapidly declining health, was undertaking the final, exhaustive revision of Nineteen Eighty-Four before its publication the following year.