Product Description

In Autobiography Chesterton describes his happy childhood, the intellectual 'doubts and morbidities' of his youth and his search for a true vocation. He includes many anecdotes about his literary friends, Henry James, George Bernard Shaw, and H G Wells. But it is his quest for religious conviction and his conversion to Catholicism that is central to his story which he tells with great modesty, gentleness and intelligence.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #150382 in Books
• Published on: 2001-02-12
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 228 pages

About the Author
GK Chesterton was born in London in 1874 and educated at St Paul's School, before studying art at the Slade School. In 1896, he began working for the London publisher, Redway, and also T. Fisher Unwin as a reader where he remained until 1902. During this time he undertook his first freelance journalistic assignments writing art and literary reviews. He also contributed regular columns to two newspapers: the Speaker (along with his friend Hilaire Belloc) and the Daily News. Throughout his life he contibuted further articles to journals, particularly The Bookman and The Illustrated London News. His first two books were published; two poetry collections, in 1900. These were followed by collections of essays and in 1903 by his most substantial work to that point; a study of Robert Browning. Chesterton's first novel, 'The Napoleon of Notting Hill' was published in 1904. In this book he developed his political attitudes in which he attacked socialism, big business and technology and showed how they become the enemies of freedom and justice. These were themes which were to run throughout his other works. 'The Man who was Thursday' was published in 1908 and is perhaps the novel most difficult to understand, although it is also his most popular. 'The Ball and the Cross' followed in 1910 and 'Manalive' in 1912. Chesterton's best-known fictional character appears in the Father Brown stories, the first of the collection, 'The Innocence of Father Brown', being published in 1911. Brown is a modest Catholic priest who uses careful psychology to put himself in the place of the criminal in order to solve the crime. His output was prolific, with a great variety of books from brilliant studies of Dickens, Shaw, and RL Stevenson to literary criticism. He also produced more poetry and many volumes of political, social and religious essays. Tremendous zest and energy, with a mastery of paradox, puns, a robust humour and forthright devotion along with great intelligence characterise his entire output. In the years prior to 1914 his fame was at its height, being something of a celebrity and seen as a latter day Dr Johnson as he frequented the pubs and offices of Fleet Street. His huge figure was encased in a cloak and wide brimmed hat, with pockets full of papers and proofs. Chesterton came from a nominlly Anglican family and had been baptized into the Church of England. However, he had no particular Christian belief and was in fact agnostic for a time. Nevertheless, in his late

Customer Reviews

An autobiography to savour !
Chesterton's formidable use of English leaves nothing to be desired.
His humility and his powerful intellect shine through every word. This is not a work to be "read" through, but requires thought and reflection in order to appreciate it to the full.

A small issue: occasional proof-reading errors annoy somewhat ( "mote" instead of "more", for example), but these do not in any way detract from this splendid work. Thank you, G.K. !

Finding the God with the Golden Key
This is the autobiography as spiritual detective story. Chesterton makes this analogy himself. It consists of a series of clues from his childhood onwards, slowly building the picture of how he became an orthodox Catholic Christian.
As in his book `Orthodoxy,' the enchantments and wonders of childhood give the first clues as to how we, as creation, should still be filled with wonder and enhancement for the rest of creation, and praise and awe for the Creator. A figure in a toy theatre holding a golden key becomes in the final chapter the `God with the Golden Key.'
The journey from childhood is told with honesty and humility. Like most of us, Chesterton forges his identity through the trials and arenas of life, such as school, apprenticeship as a journalist, marriage, and so on. Like most of us, God is at times far from the centre of his conscious life, but different threads draw him gently on to irresistible conclusions. There are blind alleys and false starts on the way, as with most of us. Chesterton describes a spiritual `morbidity' and how he initially reacted and engaged with some of the `heresies' (expounded further in his works `Heretics' and `Orthodoxy') of his day. He describes witty engagements with some of his peers, such as GB Shaw and HG Wells, and marks out their fundamental and often irreconcilable differences. Chesterton is never less than generous to these opponents, though, emphasising what is good and admirable about their work, but not downplaying what he sees as their catastrophic errors of thought.
The book also fascinates as social history: his recollections of his childhood family life, how his family viewed and lived out their `middle-class' existence and how Chesterton views the fundamental differences between his world and that of the Victorians, not always to the credit of his contemporary existence. His view of the Boer war and his recollections of the reactions of those around him, as with the outbreak of the First World War, give some wonderful writing on what he sees as just war, that is, real patriotism of fighting for cherished values versus false `Jingoism' based on defending aggressive colonial expansion and false perceptions of racial superiority.
If the book ever lost me, it was in Chesterton's accounts some of his later social and political engagements, which I think rely on a lot of contemporary knowledge which has been lost. Imagine watching a topical satirical show five decades from now and you'll get a measure of what I mean.
And, Chesterton can be an exhausting writer, as he fires off witty conceits, argument and reflection together with the speed of a Gatling gun.
But, taken as whole, this book is an enthralling tapestry. It is a book to savour, study, reflect on and return to.