The Man who was Thursday: A Nightmare

Front Cover
Penguin, 2007 - Fiction - 209 pages
"The most thrilling book I have ever read." -Kingsley Amis
Part surrealistic comedy, part psychological thriller, G. K. Chesterton's "The Man Who Was Thursday" inventively unravels the nightmare of paradox and surprise to probe the mysteries of human behavior. The seven members of Europe's Central Anarchist Council, who, for reasons of security, call themselves by the names of the days of the week, have sworn to destroy the world. But events soon cast doubt upon their real identities, for the man called Thursday is not the passionate young poet he claims to be. Put into context by Matthew Beaumont's introduction, which examines the novel's modernism, background, and depiction of turn-of-the-century London, "The Man Who Was Thursday" is both a brilliant thriller and a trenchant look at modern life.

Other editions - View all

About the author (2007)

Gilbert Keith Chesterton was born in London, England, in 1874. He began his education at St Paul's School, and later went on to study art at the Slade School, and literature at University College in London. Chesterton wrote a great deal of poetry, as well as works of social and literary criticism. Among his most notable books are The Man Who Was Thursday, a metaphysical thriller, and The Everlasting Man, a history of humankind's spiritual progress. After Chesterton converted to Catholicism in 1922, he wrote mainly on religious topics. Chesterton is most known for creating the famous priest-detective character Father Brown, who first appeared in "The Innocence of Father Brown." Chesterton died in 1936 at the age of 62.

Bibliographic information