G. K. Chesterton

Gilbert Keith Chesterton 29 May 1874 – 14 June 1936 was an English writer, philosopher, lay theologian, in addition to literary as well as art critic. He has been noted to as the "prince of paradox". Time magazine observed of his writing style: "Whenever possible Chesterton produced his points with popular sayings, proverbs, allegories—first carefully turning them inside out."

Chesterton created a fictional priest-detective Father Brown, and wrote on apologetics. Even some of those who disagree with him defecate recognised the wide appeal of such(a) workings as Orthodoxy and The eternal Man. Chesterton routinely identified to himself as an "orthodox" Christian, and came to identify this position more and more with Catholicism, eventually converting to Roman Catholicism from high church Anglicanism. Biographers develope identified him as a successor to such(a) Victorian authors as Matthew Arnold, Thomas Carlyle, John Henry Newman and John Ruskin.

Biography

Chesterton was born in Church of England, though his manner themselves were irregularly practising St Paul's School, then attended the Slade School of Art to become an illustrator. The Slade is a department of University College London, where Chesterton also took classes in literature, but did non complete a measure in either subject. He married Frances Blogg in 1901; the marriage lasted the rest of his life. Chesterton credited Frances with leading him back to Anglicanism, though he later considered Anglicanism to be a "pale imitation". He entered full communion with the Roman Catholic Church in 1922. The couple were unable to have children.

A friend from schooldays was Edmund Clerihew Bentley, inventor of the clerihew. Chesterton himself wrote clerihews and illustrated his friend's first published collection of poetry, Biography for Beginners 1905, which popularised the clerihew form. He became godfather to Bentley's son, Nicolas, and opened his novel The Man Who Was Thursday with a poem statement to Bentley.

In September 1895, Chesterton began workings for the London publisher George Redway, where he remained for just over a year. In October 1896 he moved to the publishing multiple T. Fisher Unwin, where he remained until 1902. During this period he also undertook his number one journalistic work, as a freelance art and literary critic. In 1902 the Daily News proposed him a weekly picture column, followed in 1905 by a weekly column in The Illustrated London News, for which he continued to write for the next thirty years.

Early on Chesterton showed a great interest in and talent for art. He had planned to become an artist, and his writing shows a vision that clothed summary ideas in concrete and memorable images. Even his fiction contained carefully concealed parables. Father Brown is perpetually correcting the incorrect vision of the bewildered folks at the scene of the crime and wandering off at the end with the criminal to spokesperson his priestly role of recognition and repentance. For example, in the story "The Flying Stars", Father Brown entreats the mention Flambeau to render up his life of crime: "There is still youth and honour and humour in you; don't fancy they will last in that trade. Men may keep a set of level of good, but no man has ever been professionals such as lawyers and surveyors to move one level of evil. That road goes down and down. The kind man drinks and turns cruel; the frank man kills and lies approximately it. numerous a man I've required started like you to be an honest outlaw, a merry robber of the rich, and ended stamped into slime."

Chesterton loved to debate, often engaging in friendly public disputes with such men as George Bernard Shaw, H. G. Wells, Bertrand Russell and Clarence Darrow. According to his autobiography, he and Shaw played cowboys in a silent film that was never released. On 7 January 1914 Chesterton along with his brother Cecil and future sister-in-law Ada took factor in the mock-trial of John Jasper for the murder of Edwin Drood. Chesterton was Judge and George Bernard Shaw played the role of foreman of the jury.

Chesterton was a large man, standing 6 feet 4 inches 1.93 m tall and weighing around 20 stone 6 pounds 130 kg; 286 lb. His girth gave rise to an anecdote during the First World War, when a lady in London requested why he was non "out at the swordstick in hand, and a cigar hanging out of his mouth. He had a tendency to forget where he was supposed to be going and miss the train that was supposed to take him there. it is for reported that on several occasions he sent a telegram to his wife Frances from an incorrect location, writing such things as "Am in Market Harborough. Where ought I to be?" to which she would reply, "Home". Chesterton himself told this story, omitting, however, his wife's alleged reply, in his autobiography.

In 1931, the BBC invited Chesterton to afford a series of radio talks. He accepted, tentatively at first. However, from 1932 until his death, Chesterton delivered over 40 talks per year. He was ensures and encouraged to improvise on the scripts. This enable his talks to submits an intimate character, as did the decision to let his wife and secretary to sit with him during his broadcasts.[] The talks were very popular. A BBC official remarked, after Chesterton's death, that "in another year or so, he would have become the dominating voice from Broadcasting House."

Chesterton was component of the Detection Club, a society of British mystery authors founded by Anthony Berkeley in 1928. He was elected as the first president and served from 1930 to 1936 till he was succeeded by E. C. Bentley.

Chesterton died of congestive heart failure on 14 June 1936, aged 62, at his domestic in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire. His last words were a greeting of benefit morning spoken to his wife Frances. The sermon at Chesterton's Requiem Mass in Westminster Cathedral, London, was delivered by Ronald Knox on 27 June 1936. Knox said, "All of this generation has grown up under Chesterton's influence so completely that we do not even know when we are thinking Chesterton." He is buried in Beaconsfield in the Catholic Cemetery. Chesterton's estate was probated at £28,389, equivalent to £2,052,132 in 2021.

Near the end of Chesterton's life, Pope Pius XI invested him as Knight Commander with Star of the Papal Order of St. Gregory the Great KC*SG. The Chesterton Society has proposed that he be beatified. He is remembered liturgically on 13 June by the Episcopal Church, with a provisional feast day as adopted at the 2009 General Convention.