Gordon Comstock is a man in thrall to his principles. He believes that money lies at the heart of all society's evils, so he decides to trade in his well-paid job at an advertising agency for the humble wages of a bookshop assistant.

As poverty strikes, he finds that it infects every element of his life. His poetry lies neglected, his relationships with his friend Ravelston and his girlfriend Rosemary suffer, and bitterness threatens to overwhelm him. Drawn from Orwell's own experiences, Keep the Aspidistra Flying exposes the dangers of capitalist society in a narrative that ranges from the tragic to the satirical. Lyrically written and darkly humorous, it is a masterpiece of fiction that remains as relevant today as when it was first written.