Keep the Aspidistra Flying (
1936) is a
novel by
George Orwell. It was published in
1936, and is set in
1930s London and elsewhere in
England. The protagonist is an aspiring poet whose singular obsession in life is not to sell out. The word
aspidistra? in the title refers to a spiny, indestructible houseplant
? that at the time was a widely considered a symbol
? of [middle class]
? British sensibility.