In 2003, under the title "The Man with the Golden Key", an autobiography of Gilbert Chesterton was published. In this book, he, the universally recognized author of the controversy, talks about himself and his beliefs. But no matter what Chesterton praises in the past, no matter what he writes or makes fun of, he suffers about the present. No matter how we relate to his conclusions and advice, one thing is important - itâs hard not to fall in love with someone who sincerely loved people, worried about them and really wanted to help them.
short biography
English writer Chesterton Gilbert Keith was born in 1874 in London. His father was a real estate agent. The family had three children, but Gilbert's sister died when he was two years old. Three years later, brother Cecil was born. Father painted watercolors, engraved, composed books for his children, and bound them himself.
In 1881, Gilbert Keith Chesterton went to preparatory school, and in 1887 entered the St. Paul's school. She was different from the others in that she was in the center of London, and the students lived at home. Chesterton stubbornly didnât want him to continue his education, he somehow studied, found a compromise - he went only to lectures in English literature at the University of London. Nevertheless, Gilbert constantly attended classes at the school of painting. He wanted to become an artist, but soon left painting. He was fascinated by literature.
The writer Gilbert Keith Chesterton was not accidental, since he wrote from an early age. He began his career in this field at the age of twenty as a reviewer at Bukman Publishing House, and then transferred to T. Fisher Anwin. " Gilbert's notes on books were so brilliant that he was noticed in literary circles.
Chesterton was helped to publish the first essays and poems. Kipling and Shaw became interested in him as soon as his name appeared in print. Over the year, Chesterton became famous, and five years later became one of the best authors in England. As a writer, Gilbert was very prolific. He wrote more than a hundred volumes of works.
Itâs impossible to count Chestertonâs essays and notes, only about 1,600 came out in Illustrated London News, and he published it not only there. Chesterton became famous in all genres. Gilbert Chesterton wrote seven collections of poems, ten biographies, six novels and eleven collections of short stories.
Chesterton died of heart disease in 1936.
What is characteristic of his works?
The thoughts expressed by Chesterton often had a paradoxical and eccentric form. The authorâs work is based on an optimistic view of life, based on a deep faith in God and common sense. Chestertonâs paradox as a writer is not to complicate reality, but to simplify it.
Most of his biographical works are written not as a writer-researcher of the personality and work of the authors, but as a Chesterton reader. The biography, as it were, recedes into the background, and the work of these authors is an occasion for Chesterton to reason about politics, art, religion.
It is this combination of journalistic and lyrical principles that forms the characteristic artistic style of Chesterton's biographies. What makes them attractive to readers, since the appearance recreated by the author looks accurate and convincing. It is no accident that Charles Dickens, written by Chesterton, is recognized as one of the best works about the great novelist.
As a rule, in the works of many writers in connection with any events in their life, a turning point comes. What can not be said about Chesterton. A good-natured, talented person, he was distinguished by some kind of âchildishnessâ. Gilbert Chesterton looked at the world as a miracle - delighted and amazed. And the attitude of those around him was the same.
Reading his autobiography, it seems that his whole life, like his childhood, were cloudless. But still there are two memorable events that somehow influenced his work.
The first, very important for the writer, is his marriage to Francis Blog in 1901. Chesterton looked after the girl for a long time, but they did not set a wedding day. This is probably due to the reluctance of Gilbert's mother to see Francis as her daughter-in-law. The long-awaited, happy day for young people came, and after that Chesterton turned to more serious works from articles and essays in newspapers. He began to write fiction - short stories and novels.
The second event that influenced his work was far from joyful. In 1914, the writer Chesterton Gilbert suffered a serious illness, for several months the writer was in an unconscious state. After that, Chesterton's worldview changed, which is noticeable in his works. Theological themes are characteristic of the works of this time. Chesterton's ideas acquired depth and brightness.
Chesterton's work
Gilbert Chesterton began his literary career with poetry. But the first collection of poems, "The Playing Old Men" did not bring success. The second collection, The Wild Knight, although noted by Kipling, also went unnoticed. The fate of essay collections was much more successful.
The first book, Defender, was composed of essays published in The Speaker and Daily News. Both newspapers littered readers with letters, and the articles had to be published as a separate publication. When the second collection was published, the fame of the writer Chesterton was already used to.
The most popular were the Heretics, which were published in 1905, published in 1908 the collection With All That, and published in early 1912, the essay Twelve Types.
In addition to biographies printed in separate books, Gilbert Chesterton wrote dozens of biographical essays. The first collection of âTwelve Portraitsâ included essays about poets, artists, historical figures, prose writers. Chesterton's biographical books: Robert Browning, published in 1903, Charles Dickens, published in separate essays from 1906 to 1909, and then published in one collection. He wrote great works on B. Shaw and W. Blake, on R. Stevenson, whose works Chesterton re-read many times.
Chestertonâs historical works include two works - A Brief History of England and Crimes of England, the poem The Ballad of the White Horse, and about twenty essays. Here he, as in biographies, was a true romantic. Even at school, the writer surprised everyone with the maturity of historical characteristics. In these works, he managed to capture the essence of historical events and convey them with his characteristic sensible sense, which distinguished Gilbert Chesterton.
Books on religious topics belonging to the pen of this great man raise questions and problems that are understandable to a wide circle of readers. They attracted the attention of clerics. In 1908, the essays Orthodoxy were published. The treatise Saint Francis of Assisi, published in 1923, was highly praised by the Pope. In 1925, Chesterton wrote on the theological theme of the treatise "Eternal Man." G. Green, an English writer, called this work "one of the greatest books of the century."
Chesterton owns the novels:
- "Napoleon of Notting Hill," published in 1904.
- âThe Man Who Was Thursday,â published in 1908.
- "The Ball and the Cross," printed in 1910.
- "Alive man", released in 1912.
- The Migratory Tavern, published in 1914.
- published in 1927, "The Return of Don Quixote" and others.
Chesterton Detectives
But the most popular works of Chesterton were the tales of a Catholic priest who was more capable of unraveling crimes more skillfully than Sherlock Holmes:
- The first book, Ignorance of Father Brown, was published in 1911.
- In 1914, the second book, The Wisdom of Father Brown, was published.
- âFather Brown's Incredulityâ was published in 1926.
- âThe Secret of Father Brownâ was published in 1927.
- The final book, The Scandalous Incident with Father Brown, was published in 1935.
The storyline of his works is original and unique. They are written in a relaxed and light style. In addition, they impress with the fact that the main protagonist of the cycle is the Catholic priest, whose main weapon is logic. The talented and at the same time modest father Brown unravels the most incredible stories.
Chesterton's contribution to the detective genre was highly praised by both critics and readers. The stories about Father Brown are rightly recognized as classics of this genre. An interesting plot of stories about the Catholic priest perfectly complement the aphorism of style, humor and a deep knowledge of human nature. Chesterton became the first chairman of the Club of Detective Writers, then A. Christie replaced the writer.