Orwell
My intro to George Orwell happened when a classmate quoted, 'All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others'. In about 10 words, someone had expressed exactly what I had been observing about the world and my unequal place in it. Sealed my bond with him forever.
I read Animal Farm and 1984. Was fascinated with the latter. Especially the subversion in painting a dystopian 'future'. While actually pointing towards the meta patterns already in play. His essays were sharp. Like listening to an uncensored, brilliant mind from the inside.
That Orwell was born in Motihari, was a surprise. I thought what is in the ‘hawa’ of Motihari? Gandhi starts his salt march there, Orwell starts his life there. What is this place? Today, if someone told me that Satoshi Nakamoto also hails from there, I won't bat an eyelid!
Reading one of his essays last week, I was struck by the irony. That we choose to describe an authoritarian, dystopian state as 'Orwellian', when that's everything he stood against. Sad if you ask me, but Orwell might have just shrugged and said 'it's subversion'. Salut!