The Wisdom of Father Brown

G. K. Chesterton

To

LUCIAN OLDERSHAW

Introduction

With one of the most diverse and multitalented backgrounds of anyone during his lifetime, Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874–1936) was equally adept at being an artist and illustrator, critic, essayist, journalist, poet, short story writer, and novelist. However, for all the success and acclaim he enjoyed during his most productive years, he is remembered today mainly for his books about one of the most beloved detective characters of all time: Father Brown.

Born to a wealthy Londoner and his Scottish French Swiss wife, Chesterton studied art and literature at University College London. During his school years, he met E.C. Bentley, who became a lifelong friend. While working for various newspapers and magazines as a literary critic and contributor, he made many intellectual friends, notably Hilaire Belloc, with whom he shared religious and liberal political beliefs.

Chesterton’s prolific pen produced literally thousands of poems, reviews, stories, and essays on literature, politics (he advocated distributism rather than socialism, calling for the widest possible ownership of property), religion (a converted and extremely devout Catholic, he believed that religion was the world’s only refuge), and any other subject that he could, by means of his diverse background, fit into his view of the cosmos. Unfailingly witty, he was a popular speaker and a beloved personality, even among those people who resented his anti-Semitism and artificial, puerile philosophy. He married Frances Blogg in 1901 and gave up the city life and literary gatherings he loved, moving to the country to please her.

Regardless of his versatility and prolificacy, Chesterton’s finest and most enduring books are his mystery and detective tales. In addition to Father Brown, whose exploits border on the occult and fantastic with little pure detection, Chesterton created several interesting characters.

Horne Fisher is a gentleman-detective and profound student of criminology who believes that evildoers should be brought to justice. Burning with passion for truth and honor, he is adept at ferreting out the secrets of little-publicized crimes; yet the criminals who perpetrate them are never punished. His unusual exploits are collected in The Man Who Knew Too Much.

The Club of Queer Trades, Chesterton’s first attempt at mystery fiction, is about an English club with one membership requirement: No one is eligible unless he has created a brand-new profession. Some mysterious adventures involve a man who offers himself to dinner hosts as a butt for repartee; another who provides a suitable romance for lonely souls; and the founder of the club, who earns his living by seeking new members.

In The Man Who Was Thursday, an allegorical novel disguised as a detective ...