Review: Keep the Aspidistra Flying

Keep the Aspidistra Flying by George Orwell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It is quite telling of George Orwell's great writing that a novel not widely regarded anywhere near his best can be such an interesting read.

Gordon Comstock, 30 and moth-eaten already, decides to revolt on the money world and quit a "good job" according to society's standards in favor of a struggling poet's life. Orwell's unflinching prose as always, full of sharp wit, stinging humour, and fresh images, never compromises and repeatedly shocks and hits you in the face. Descriptions of Gordon's family (whose members lived and died without a real stab at life) and friends are so vivid that you almost see the characters before you, and while Gordon is the main character throughout the whole book, the other characters were so well-painted that it's very hard to think they were not based on real characters. Ravelston, a wealthy publisher of a left-wing magazine, who wore the uniform of the moneyed intelligentsia and had a perpetually apologetic look on his face, is a good example. And again, as in other Orwell's works, there is no celebration of honest poverty, as might be the case with other writers writing from the privilege of their upper or upper-middle class comforts.

The novel, certainly not Orwell's best, could have done with some trimming. After brilliant opening chapters, full of brilliant descriptions, misanthropic observations, and sharp criticism of advertising industry and money-world in general, the rest was a continuation on the same theme; a re-iteration of what the main character and the supporting ones thought and felt, which remained very much the same until a great final chapter.

What really stands out for me is how relevant this fiction work, written more than 80 years ago, is to today's life, and maybe to the foreseeable future. We come across similar sentiments towards modern day capitalism, towards modern day emptiness, and more or less the same alternatives are suggested. When today's politics and economics are discussed, many of us seem to be under the impression that today's questions are a mere product of our modern day but Gordon Comstock's story is probably relevant to a lot more people in past, present, and future than we might think.

View all my reviews