A novel by the author of 1984 about a man who is determined to reject middle-class standards but finds that living in heroic poverty is more difficult than he anticipated.
Gordon Comstock despises middle-class materialism and shallowness-the worship of money, the pursuit of dull, stuffy respectability. He quits his lucrative job as an advertising copywriter to devote himself to poetry and other high-minded endeavours in order to live up to his aspirations.
Low-paying part-time work and a persistent cash crisis, on the other hand, are not exactly conductive to creativity and pleasure. He even lashes out at his dedicated girlfriend, Rosemary, whom he thinks of choosing a wealthy man, as a result of his stress.