Selected Essays

by Hilaire Belloc, J.B. Morton (Editor/Introduction)

In these essays the reader meets Belloc in all his diversity of mood and subject. They range from boyish exuberance to solemn meditation; from that irrepressible gaiety which leaves the impression of a man with a richly stored mind thinking aloud, to the majestic prose in which he sets to music his response to a profound emotion. Here is the poet's eye for a landscape, the easily kindled imagination which could bring the dead past to life, the wit and wisdom of one who lived ardently and knew the bitterness as well as the joys of this world.

Genres: Essays, Nonfiction

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1936

About the author

People considered Joseph Hilaire Pierre René Belloc, French-born British writer, as a master of light English prose and also knew widely his droll verse, especially The Bad Child's Book of Beasts in 1896.

Sharp wit of Hilaire Belloc, an historian, poet, and orator, extended across literary output and strong political and religious convictions. Oxford educated this distinguished debater and scholar. Throughout his career, he prolifically across a range of genres and produced histories, essays, travelogues, poetry, and satirical works.

Cautionary Tales for Children collects best humorous yet dark morals, and historical works of Hilaire Belloc often reflected his staunch Catholicism and critique of Protestant interpretations. He led advocates of an economic theory that promotes and championed distribution of small-scale property ownership as a middle ground between capitalism and socialism alongside Gilbert Keith Chesterton, his close friend.

In politics, Hilaire Belloc served as a member of Parliament for the Liberal party, but the establishment disillusioned him. His polemical style and strong opinions made a controversial figure, who particularly viewed modernism, secularism, and financial capitalism as threats to traditional Christian society in his critiques.

Influence and vast literary legacy of Hilaire Belloc extends into historical circles. Erudition, humor, and a forceful rhetorical style characterized intellectual vigor and unique perspective, which people continue to study and to appreciate, on history, society, and human nature.

Reviews

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful essays, written in the early 20th century. A whole other world.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

My interest in Hilaire Belloc dates back to my interest in G. K. Chesterton, whose work I have been reading and collecting over the last half century. Selected Essays is a superb selection of the author's often poetic, sometimes humorous essays. Some, like "The Letter," are like little coruscating gems. I am resolved to read sosme of the original collections from which these pieces were extracted.

[Joseph Maimone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Belloc was brilliant and some of his essays are truly masterful, such as The Love of England and On Inns. A good read for Localists.