1984 & Down and Out in Paris and London

Both the books 1984 & Down and Out in Paris and London are written by English essayist, journalist and critic George Orwell. The story is about a man named Winston Smith who comes with his own ideologies when it comes to the freedom given to the people in a society which is decided by the party in power. He vehemently opposes the rigid control and oppression of the Party wherein people have little or no personal freedom. But he brings along with him his own share of fixations and love angles that make it even more gripping. The story is about the scary and impassionate way in which politics works in an autocratic set-up. Down and Out in Paris and London is his memoir where he pens down his life as a penniless writer in two cities: Paris and England. Through his beautiful phrases, meticulous, honest, and vivid experiences of searching for work and spending nights on benches, he blends the testimonies of others of his kind on the streets of London and Paris. The book both illuminates the huge change between 1933 and now, and exposes horrifying similarities. Job insecurity is still a major driver of homelessness nearly 90 years later. This is just an important read now as it was back then.