London, 1984. England has given up on democracy and selects its rulers by lottery. This time it is the turn of clerk Auberon Quin, a prankster who decrees that each borough of London become an independent mediaeval state, complete with costumes and coats of arms. The citizens bear his joke with varying levels of patience - until Adam Wayne, the intractable Provost of Notting Hill, sword in hand, takes the game far too seriously. First published in 1904, G. K. Chesterton's deliriously eccentric debut novel is a wild, topsy-turvy satire on a land ruled by fools.
Über den Autor G K Chesterton
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G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936) was an artist, philosopher, columnist, arts critic and prolific writer. A very large man of 6'4" and 21 stone, Chesterton also had a 'colossal genius' according to his friend George Bernard Shaw - and his work, particularly The Man Who Was Thursday and the Father Brown stories, has had an astounding impact on English fiction. Chesterton died of heart failure in his home in 1936, and was given a Requiem Mass in Westminster Cathedral.
