The French Revolution (Hardcover)

Hilaire Belloc in full Joseph-Hilaire-Pierre-René Belloc (born July 27 1870 La Celle-Saint-Cloud Fr.--died July 16 1953 Guildford Surrey Eng.) French-born poet historian and essayist who was among the most versatile English writers of the first quarter of the 20th century. He is most remembered for his light verse particularly for children and for the lucidity and easy grace of his essays which could be delightfully about nothing or decisively about some of the key controversies of the Edwardian era. Belloc was educated at the Oratory School Birmingham and then worked as a journalist. After military service as a French citizen he entered Balliol College Oxford in 1894. He graduated with first-class honours in history was president of the Union (debating society) and in 1896 married Elodie Hogan (1870-1914) of Napa Calif. He became a naturalized British subject in 1902 and sat as a member of Parliament for Salford (1906-10) first as a Liberal and then as an Independent. Verses and Sonnets (1895) and The Bad Child s Book of Beasts (1896) launched Belloc on his literary career. Cautionary Tales another book of humorous verse for children which parodied some Victorian pomposities appeared in 1907. His Danton (1899) and Robespierre (1901) proved his lively historical sense and powerful prose style. Lambkin s Remains (1900) and Mr. Burden (1904) showed his mastery of satire and irony. In The Path to Rome (1902) he interspersed his account of a pilgrimage on foot from Toul to Rome with comments on the nature and history of Europe. Born and brought up a Roman Catholic he showed in almost everything he wrote an ardent profession of his faith. This coloured with occasional inaccuracy and overemphasis most of his historical writing which includes Europe and the Faith (1920) History of England 4 vol. (1925-31) and a series of biographies ranging in period from James II (1928) to Wolsey (1930). But he had the power of bringing history to life. Belloc engaged in much heated controversy particularly with H.G. Wells whose Outline of History he vigorously attacked and with the Protestant scholar and historian G.C. Coulton. Belloc is one of the masters of modern English prose a good poet and a deeply interesting literary personality. (britannica.com)