The Flying Inn by G K Chesterton

The Flying Inn by G K Chesterton

British writer GILBERT KEITH CHESTERTON (1874-1936) expounded prolifically about his wide-ranging philosophies--he is impossible to categorize as liberal or conservative, for instance--across a wide variety of avenues: he was a literary critic, historian, playwright, novelist, columnist, and poet. His witty, humorous style earned him the title of the prince of paradox, and his works--80 books and nearly 4,000 essays--remain among the most beloved in the English language Considered by many readers to be his most underrated work, this 1914 novel remains full of import for readers almost a century later. and is still a rollicking good read. In a future Britain where a weirdly liberal form of Islam has come to dominate the culture, political schemer Lord Ivywood has set about to ban alcohol. In this fray come boisterous Irishman Patrick Dalroy and English pub owner Humphrey Pump, who set off on a round-the-country tour with their mobile pub, a flying inn, in an attempt to undermine the new prohibition. Outrageous and thoughtful in equal measure, as was Chesterton's trademark, this is a wickedly witty sendup of political correctness, Puritanism, religious sanctimony, and oppressive laws, as well as a startling depiction of the cultural clash between Eastern spirituality and Western ideals that we're still contending with today.

Gilbert Keith Chesterton was born in London, England on the 29th of May, 1874. Though he considered himself a mere rollicking journalist, he was actually a prolific and gifted writer in virtually every area of literature. A man of strong opinions and enormously talented at defending them, his exuberant personality nevertheless allowed him to maintain warm friendships with people-such as George Bernard Shaw and H. G. Wells-with whom he vehemently disagreed.

Chesterton had no difficulty standing up for what he believed. He was one of the few journalists to oppose the Boer War. His 1922 Eugenics and Other Evils attacked what was at that time the most progressive of all ideas, the idea that the human race could and should breed a superior version of itself. In the Nazi experience, history demonstrated the wisdom of his once reactionary views.

His poetry runs the gamut from the comic 1908 On Running After One's Hat to dark and serious ballads. During the dark days of 1940, when Britain stood virtually alone against the armed might of Nazi Germany, these lines from his 1911 Ballad of the White Horse were often quoted:

I tell you naught for your comfort, Yea, naught for your desire, Save that the sky grows darker yet And the sea rises higher.

Though not written for a scholarly audience, his biographies of authors and historical figures like Charles Dickens and St. Francis of Assisi often contain brilliant insights into their subjects. His Father Brown mystery stories, written between 1911 and 1936, are still being read and adapted for television.

Heretics belongs to yet another area of literature at which Chesterton excelled. A fun-loving and gregarious man, he was nevertheless troubled in his adolescence by thoughts of suicide. In Christianity he found the answers to the dilemmas and paradoxes he saw in life. Other books in that same series include his 1908 Orthodoxy (written in response to attacks on this book) and his 1925 The Everlasting Man. Orthodoxy is also available as electronic text.

Chesterton died on the 14th of June, 1936 in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England. During his life he published 69 books and at least another ten based on his writings have been published after his death. Many of those books are still in print. Ignatius Press is systematically publishing his collected writings.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780486419107
ISBN 10	048641910X
Title	The Flying Inn
Author	G K Chesterton
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Dover Publications Inc.
Year published	2001-12-10
Number of pages	320
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.