G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton
1) Orthodoxy
In Orthodoxy, a classic work of Christian apologetics, G. K. Chesterton writes with the purpose of attempting "an explanation, not of whether the Christian Faith can be believed, but of how he personally has come to believe it." Christianity, in Chesterton's original view, is the "answer to a riddle" and the natural solution to our needs, and in this way it is deeply personal rather than an arbitrary truth from outside one's experience.
...3) Heretics
In 'Heretics', Chesterton starts from his belief that the most important thing about a person is their view of the universe, as this determines all else; and he decries the rationalist view for having no vision of ultimate good. Such failure of nerve is expressed in George Bernard Shaw's epigram: 'The golden rule is that there is no rule.' Taking on Ibsen, HG Wells, Kipling, Oscar Wilde and Nietzsche, Chesterton rails against 'the great mental
...4) Manalive
Some critics and fans regard this short comic novel as one of the most accomplished—and underrated—of G. K. Chesterton's works. A windy storm hits London and blows in "holy fool" Innocent Brown, one of the most interesting and memorable literary characters of the twentieth century. On the first day of his arrival, he creates happiness and fortuitous outcomes for all of those around him. But soon afterwards, it's revealed that he's a
...The metaphysical thriller The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare, written by G. K. Chesterton in 1908, deals with a philosophical or theological anarchism; more a rejection of God than a rejection of government. The novel was described by Adam Gopnik as "one of the hidden hinges of twentieth-century writing, the place where, before our eyes, the nonsense-fantastical tradition of Lewis Carroll and Edward Lear pivots and becomes the nightmare-fantastical
...The Man Who Knew Too Much is a collection of short stories by British writer Gilbert K. Chesterton, featuring his detective Horne Fisher. From the upper-classes himself, Fisher has a unique insight into political power—a position which complicates his investigations when they approach the higher levels of corrupt government. Chesterton's witty, paradoxical work, published in 1922, gives an interesting view of the pre-Great War era.
...Only G.K. Chesterton could tackle some of the most persistent and complex questions about the Christian faith in such an engaging format. The Ball and the Cross presents a surprisingly good-humored take on timeless debates about faith, pairing plenty of witty repartee with deep and penetrating philosophical insights.
The star of these stories is Father Brown, a character created by writer G. K. Chesterton. Based on a parish priest who was partially responsible for Chesterton's conversion to Catholicism in 1922, Brown is a stubby Catholic priest equipped with a large umbrella, a formless outfit and a sharp insight into the human nature. The stories included here are The Absence of Mr Glass, The Paradise of Thieves, The Duel of Dr Hirsch, The Man in the Passage,
...When the concept of eugenics—the practice of selecting for desirable traits in the larger population by encouraging gifted and/or attractive people to breed—began to take hold in the early twentieth century, British thinker and writer G.K. Chesterton took a stance contrary to that of many intellectuals of the period and denounced it as evil in this bold, engaging series of essays.
In his very first attempt at playwriting, British author G.K. Chesterton knocked it out of the proverbial ballpark with Magic, a drawing-room comedy in which a diverse group of friends and family members gather together to enjoy the entertainment provided by an amateur magician. What ensues is a philosophical free-for-all during which virtually every "ism" under the sun is mercilessly skewered.
British writer G.K. Chesterton was an irrepressible jack-of-all-trades when it came to literature, producing popular works in virtually every genre. The Ballad of the White Horse is an epic poem detailing the triumphs and travails of Saxon King Alfred the Great. It is said that Chesterton spent more time on this poem than any other work, and some critics regard it as his finest poetic accomplishment.
The Napoleon of Notting Hill is a futuristic novel set in London in 1984. Chesterton envisions neither great technological leaps nor totalitarian suppression. Instead, England is ruled by a series of randomly selected Kings, because people have become entirely indifferent. The joker Auberon Quin is crowned and he instates elaborate costumes for every sector of London. All the city's provosts are bored with the idea except for the earnest
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