As he prepares for his inevitable success as a poet, Gordon Comstock works as a copywriter for an advertising company, barely making enough money to survive. Much as he deplores serving the "Money God," however, Comstock comes to find that everything he truly desires—a wife, a decent home, and freedom from shame—require financial security. First published in 1936, George Orwell's barbed satire follows Comstock all the way to the bottom, as the poet is tempted to embrace shabby respectability.
"It is perfect from the first page to the last."—Norman Mailer