This edition is enriched by an extensive critical apparatus, almost 300 notes and extra reading material.

Partly autobiographical, it sits alongside Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four as a reminder of Orwell’s lucid narrative style and his abilities as a politically and socially engaged writer. But when poverty begins to damage his self-esteem and taint his worldview, and his romantic and professional lives start falling apart, will Gordon be able to uphold his anti-money principles, or will he succumb to the lure of lucre and everything he stands against?įirst published in 1936, Keep the Aspidistra Flying is the author’s third novel, and one of his most outspoken works of social criticism. Working in a small bookshop and living in a bedsit in London, he dreams of completing an ambitious poem in rhyme royal and devoting his life to literature. Quotes from Keep the Aspidistra Flying George Orwell 277 pages Rating: (12.3K votes) Get the book The mistake you make, don't you see,is in thinking one can live in a corrupt society without being corrupt oneself. Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly gave it a grade A−.Despite hailing from a comfortable family background, budding poet Gordon Comstock decides to declare war on money and all the middle-class trappings that wealth can buy.

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave it 3 out of 4 and wrote: 'For me it works not only as a reasonable adaptation of an Orwell novel I like, but also as a form of escapism, since if the truth be known I would be happy as a clerk in a London used-book store. Elley praised the casting but was critical of the uncinematic direction. ĭerek Elley of Variety magazine, called it a terrific adaptation, and a 'constant, often very funny delight to the ears'. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 83% based on reviews from 23 critics. The title Keep the Aspidistra Flying is a pun on the socialist anthem ' Keep the Red Flag Flying' but with the aspidistra houseplant instead representing middle-class English respectability. His girlfriend and co-worker, Rosemary (Bonham Carter), fears he may never settle down with her when he suddenly disavows his money-based lifestyle and quits his job for the artistic satisfaction of writing poetry.

Gordon Comstock (Grant) is a successful copywriter at a flourishing advertising firm in 1930s London. The screenplay was written by Alan Plater and was produced by Peter Shaw. Keep the Aspidistra Flying (released in the United States, New Zealand, South Africa and Zimbabwe as A Merry War) is a 1997 British romantic comedy film directed by Robert Bierman and based on the 1936 novel by George Orwell.

Keep the aspidistra flying book