What do you think?
Rate this book
Canossa
A short story by Saki
- GenresShort StoriesPolitics
4 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 1923
5 people want to read
About the author
Saki
1,758 books595 followersBritish writer Hector Hugh Munro under pen name Saki published his witty and sometimes bitter short stories in collections, such as
The Chronicles of Clovis
(1911).
His sometimes macabre satirized Edwardian society and culture. People consider him a master and often compare him to William Sydney Porter and Dorothy Rothschild Parker. His tales feature delicately drawn characters and finely judged narratives. "The Open Window," perhaps his most famous, closes with the line, "Romance at short notice was her specialty," which thus entered the lexicon. Newspapers first and then several volumes published him as the custom of the time.
His works include
* a full-length play, The Watched Pot , in collaboration with Charles Maude;
* two one-act plays;
* a historical study, The Rise of the Russian Empire , the only book under his own name;
* a short novel, The Unbearable Bassington ;
* the episodic The Westminster Alice , a parliamentary parody of Alice in Wonderland ;
* and When William Came: A Story of London under the Hohenzollerns , an early alternate history.
Oscar Wilde, Lewis Carroll, and Joseph Rudyard Kipling, influenced Munro, who in turn influenced A. A. Milne, and Pelham Grenville Wodehouse.
His sometimes macabre satirized Edwardian society and culture. People consider him a master and often compare him to William Sydney Porter and Dorothy Rothschild Parker. His tales feature delicately drawn characters and finely judged narratives. "The Open Window," perhaps his most famous, closes with the line, "Romance at short notice was her specialty," which thus entered the lexicon. Newspapers first and then several volumes published him as the custom of the time.
His works include
* a full-length play, The Watched Pot , in collaboration with Charles Maude;
* two one-act plays;
* a historical study, The Rise of the Russian Empire , the only book under his own name;
* a short novel, The Unbearable Bassington ;
* the episodic The Westminster Alice , a parliamentary parody of Alice in Wonderland ;
* and When William Came: A Story of London under the Hohenzollerns , an early alternate history.
Oscar Wilde, Lewis Carroll, and Joseph Rudyard Kipling, influenced Munro, who in turn influenced A. A. Milne, and Pelham Grenville Wodehouse.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 7, 2021
Very funny political satire from 1923 that feels very apt today and possibly an influence on Alan Moore's V For Vendetta. A politician, on the brink of re-election, gets caught after blowing up London's Albert Hall, and targeting Manchester Town Hall. As he is distinguished in parliament and the party needs his seat he gets away with just a week in prison. He insists on a brass band to accompany his release.
February 6, 2026
2.5 stars
I love most of Saki's short stories.
This one I thought was just OK.
It must refer to some obscure, bizarre
British political event that I don't
understand.
The idea that somebody would
get just 7 days in jail for blowing up
Albert Hall is absolutely absurd.
I did like the bit at the end where
because all the musicians were on
strike, the top politicians and top
ministers had to become an
impromptu band
I love most of Saki's short stories.
This one I thought was just OK.
It must refer to some obscure, bizarre
British political event that I don't
understand.
The idea that somebody would
get just 7 days in jail for blowing up
Albert Hall is absolutely absurd.
I did like the bit at the end where
because all the musicians were on
strike, the top politicians and top
ministers had to become an
impromptu band
May 9, 2021
Somehow this political farce feels very much of its time while also being very timely in its absurdity. Audible edition narrated by Frederick Davidson.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews