GK Chesterton was a great writer, full of wit and wisdom. The author of such works at Orthodoxy, Heretics, The Father Brown Mysteries, and The Man Who Was Thursday, he's regarded as the primary persuasive force behind CS Lewis' conversion to Christianity, and his genius was acknowledged even by his staunch opponents (George Bernard Shaw being the most famous). The Life and Words of GK Chesterton is a concise attempt to capture a quality portrait of the man. It fails.
This biography- only 66 pages- doesn't do him justice. Brevity isn't inherently bad (in fact, it's often preferred), but it's impossible to cover Chesterton's (or anyone's?) life in so short a story. The bare facts are provided, but not in a compelling or interesting way. The last quarter of the book contains selected quotations (mostly poems) from his works. That was of mild interest but little relevance. I'm sure there are better works on this topic out there.
Rating: C
No comments:
Post a Comment