English Literature, 20th cent. to the Present: Biographies

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G. K. Chesterton

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2011 | Copyright

G. K. Chesterton (Gilbert Keith Chesterton), 1874–1936, English author. Conservative, even reactionary, in his thinking, Chesterton was a convert (1922) to Roman Catholicism and its champion. He has been called the "prince of paradox" because his dogma is often hidden beneath a light, energetic, and whimsical style. A prolific writer, Chesterton wrote studies of Browning (1903) and Dickens (1906); several novels including The Napoleon of Notting Hill (1904) and The Man Who Was Thursday (1908); a noted series of crime stories featuring Father Brown as detective; many poems, collected in 1927; and his famous essays, collected in Tremendous Trifles (1909), Come to Think of It (1930), and other volumes. He was the editor of G. K.'s Weekly, an organ of the Distributist League, which advocated the small-holding system. An amusing artist, he illustrated books by Hilaire Belloc , his friend and collaborator.

Bibliography: See his autobiography (1936); the Ignatius Press edition of his complete works (1990–); biographies by D. Barker (1973) and M. Ffinch (1986); studies by C. Hollis (1970), J. West (1915, repr. 1973), A. S. Dale (1985), and Q. Lauer (1988).

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Chesterton, G.K.

World Encyclopedia | 2005 | Copyright

Chesterton, G.K. ( Gilbert Keith) (1874–1936) English essayist, novelist, biographer, and poet. Best known for his Father Brown stories, which began in 1911, he also wrote literary criticism and essays on social and political themes. His novels include The Napoleon of Notting Hill (1904) and The Man who was Thursday (1908). He became a Catholic (1922) and wrote St Francis of Assisi (1923) and St Thomas Aquinas (1933). His Collected Poems was published in 1933.

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"Chesterton, G.K." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-ChestertonGK.html

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

	G. K. Chesterton.(Book review) Magazine article from: Catholic Insight; 9/1/2011
	Wisdom and Innocence: A Life of G.K. Chesterton.(Review) Magazine article from: Utopian Studies; 3/22/1999
	G.K. Chesterton and the Charms of Orthodoxy.(Chesterton and the Romance of... Magazine article from: Contemporary Review; 6/22/2009