G.K. Chesterton, who lived from 1874-1936, was also a Catholic convert. He was a journalist and author of many books, including several novels. The American Chesterton Society calls hims the “saint of the blogsphere” and I think he’s a great choice. If he were alive today, he would definitely be a blogger.
I first learned of Chesterton watching The Journey Home on EWTN. This show’s focus is helping Protestant pastors become Catholic. Pastors are in a special situation when they convert to Catholicism because they have their livelihood to consider. And as a convert, I love to read/listen to other convert stories. So, I kept hearing about this Chesterton – somebody was always quoting him, it seemed. I used to roll my eyes and say, “Here we go again with that Chesterton” and then I realized I often agreed with what Chesterton was saying and found him to be just as relevant for our day as his day.
As the author says on the back cover:
“Chesterton wrote about everything…. He was a prolific Englishman, who wrote numerous books on a variety of themes, hundreds of columns for London newspapers, epic poetry, and detective fiction. His unique writing style that combines philosophy, spirituality, history, humor, and paradox have made him one of the most widely read authors of modern times.”
I think that 2011 is going to be, not only a celebration of my first decade as a Catholic, but the year of Chesterton. I imagine that I’ll be quoting him from time to time throughout the year. As a blogger who sometimes writes of unpopular things, I need somebody like Chesterton on my side. 🙂
To find out more about G.K. Chesterton, see the American Chesterton Society.
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