Keep the Ampleforth Aspidistra Flying

Hello people. Just thought I'd draw your attention to an ephemeral magazine I have recently come across which somehow seems to me to have an Orwell connection. It is a hand-printed magazine "The Aspidistra Vol 1 No 1 Printed at the Victorian Press Ampleforth 1930". There is of course a poet called Ampleforth who appears in '1984', and one of Orwell's pieces is called 'Keep The Aspidistra Flying'. It's not impossible that Orwell saw a copy of this extremely obscure publication, which as far as I have been able to find out certainly didn't keep flying. It contains a few unremarkable poems, including 'An Introduction':

In this great year of holy grace
Old Father Time with purple face
Stands still aghast for now at last
A paper has come to make him pace

No longer silence round the hearth
Or rather pipe - but many a laugh
Is heard at last both high and low
The Aspidistra's now on show.

And while I'm here, much play has been made in the last few years about a quotation attributed to Orwell 'In times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act'. Is this authentic Orwell?

Best wishes

Rye

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Originally Posted by ryethorpe

Hello people. Just thought I'd draw your attention to an ephemeral magazine I have recently come across which somehow seems to me to have an Orwell connection. It is a hand-printed magazine "The Aspidistra Vol 1 No 1 Printed at the Victorian Press Ampleforth 1930". There is of course a poet called Ampleforth who appears in '1984', and one of Orwell's pieces is called 'Keep The Aspidistra Flying'. It's not impossible that Orwell saw a copy of this extremely obscure publication, which as far as I have been able to find out certainly didn't keep flying.

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Great catch!

It could well be that the names appealed to him, although aspidistras are archetypal British suburban pot plants and he was always going to write about them. It could have even been an unconscious association, but kudos for seeing it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ryethorpe

It contains a few unremarkable poems, including 'An Introduction':
And while I'm here, much play has been made in the last few years about a quotation attributed to Orwell 'In times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act'. Is this authentic Orwell?

Best wishes

Rye

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Yes it is indeed authentic Orwell, but I don't seem to be able to source the quote. I'll keep reading and get back to you on that.

Personally, I'm disgusted that the phrase has been hijacked by idiots who lie. You'll tend to find that the quote is most often used by teenagers suffering from extreme angst who think they know "teh troof" about some idiotic conspiracy or other - Illuminati/9-11/Kennedy & the like.

Orwell, who demanded truth above all, must spin in his grave at the misuse of some his legendary phrases.

the aspidistra was a constant sub plot in the book,an object of hate for gordon, the symbol of the contentment of the money world.he was almost obsessed by them and failed miserably in killing them but was constantly spotting them in well to do windows,the idol of worship to the money god.in the anti-happy ending gordon insisted on buying one for himself and rosemary the final act of submission.
sounds like you made an excellent discovery,there are constant references to ravelstons antichrist in the book,i think you have the inspiration for it.