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Father Brown #3
The Incredulity of Father Brown
In "The Incredulity of Father Brown," G.K. Chesterton treats us to another set of bizarre crimes that only his "stumpy" Roman Catholic prelate has the wisdom and mindset to solve. As usual, Chesterton loves playing with early twentieth-century class distinctions, "common-sense" assumptions, and the often anti-Catholic biases of his characters. He loves showing, through his characters, how those who hold themselves superior to the "fantasies" of Brown's Catholic faith themselves devolve into superstitious blithering when faced with the tiniest of mysteries. In this collection, Brown finds himself as the main event at his own funeral (The resurrection of Father Brown), contemplating the possibility of death from the sky (The arrow of heaven), piercing the mystery of a dog's "prophetic" behavior (The oracle of the dog), and facing off against a curse hanging about a medieval burial (The curse of the golden cross). A collection of excellent tales from one of the finest British mystery writ
198 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1926
88 people are currently reading
1,776 people want to read
About the author
G.K. Chesterton
4,246books5,518followersGilbert Keith Chesterton was an English writer, philosopher, lay theologian, and literary and art critic.
He was educated at St. Paul’s, and went to art school at University College London. In 1900, he was asked to contribute a few magazine articles on art criticism, and went on to become one of the most prolific writers of all time. He wrote a hundred books, contributions to 200 more, hundreds of poems, including the epic Ballad of the White Horse, five plays, five novels, and some two hundred short stories, including a popular series featuring the priest-detective, Father Brown. In spite of his literary accomplishments, he considered himself primarily a journalist. He wrote over 4000 newspaper essays, including 30 years worth of weekly columns for the Illustrated London News, and 13 years of weekly columns for the Daily News. He also edited his own newspaper, G.K.’s Weekly.
Chesterton was equally at ease with literary and social criticism, history, politics, economics, philosophy, and theology.
He was educated at St. Paul’s, and went to art school at University College London. In 1900, he was asked to contribute a few magazine articles on art criticism, and went on to become one of the most prolific writers of all time. He wrote a hundred books, contributions to 200 more, hundreds of poems, including the epic Ballad of the White Horse, five plays, five novels, and some two hundred short stories, including a popular series featuring the priest-detective, Father Brown. In spite of his literary accomplishments, he considered himself primarily a journalist. He wrote over 4000 newspaper essays, including 30 years worth of weekly columns for the Illustrated London News, and 13 years of weekly columns for the Daily News. He also edited his own newspaper, G.K.’s Weekly.
Chesterton was equally at ease with literary and social criticism, history, politics, economics, philosophy, and theology.
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March 6, 2022
3.5/5* για την εξαιρετική (σε όλα τα επίπεδα) έκδοση από το "Μάγμα".
Ο πατέρας Μπράουν είναι ένας αντι-ηρωικός, αντι-μυθιστορηματικός και αντι-εμπορικός καθολικός ιερέας και -κάτι-σαν-ντετέκτιβ. Προφανώς δεν είχε ακούσει το «ή παπάς-παπάς ή ζευγάς-ζευγάς» του θυμόσοφου ελληνικού λαού (η συλλογή διηγημάτων πρωτοεκδόθηκε το 1926) και γι� αυτό καταπιάνεται με κάθε λογής μυστήρια και εγκλήματα, ευφάνταστα και μη, τελεσφόρα ή μη.
Δεν έχει τη γοητεία και το παράστημα του Σέρλοκ Χολμς, δεν είναι iconic σαν τον Ηρακλή Πουαρό, δεν καπνίζει μειλίχια την πίπα του σαν τον επιθεωρητή Μαιγκρέ. Είναι κακοσουλούπωτος, κοντόχοντρος και υποτονικός μέχρι ναρκοληψίας. Είναι όμως και ο πιο ανεπιτήδευτος λύτης μυστηρίων που έχω προσωπικά συναντήσει. Με βάση έναν στιβαρό και αδιαπέραστο ορθολογισμό ο οποίος δεν πηγάζει (μόνο) από τη θρησκεία, εστιάζει απευθείας στα μύχια της ψυχής και στη γενεσιουργό αιτία πίσω από κάθε κίνητρο.
Ταπεινός, αμήχανος σχεδόν κατά τη διαλεύκανση τω ν μυστηρίων, δε μοιράζει αφειδώς στομφώδη αποφθέγματα, δεν πλακώνει στις φάπες επίδοξους εχθρούς, κατορθώνει όμως να συγκροτήσει μια άκρως συμπαθητική και -παραδόξως- λογοτεχνική περσόνα η οποία καθρεφτίζει την κοσμοθεωρία και το ταλέντο του Τσέστερτον, αυτά που ανάγκασαν τον «πολύ» Αντόνιο Γκράμσι και ολόκληρο Χόρχε Λουις Μπόρχες να τον επαινέσουν αβίαστα.
Ο πατέρας Μπράουν δυσπιστεί απέναντι σε πολλά: στην πρόοδο για την πρόοδο, στα επιφανειακά συμπεράσματα, στο δίκαιο του ισχυρού, στον εξ� ανατολάς μυστικισμό-αποκρυφισμό, στα γιαλαντζί παραφυσικά φαινόμενα. Όμως η λογική, ο απαγωγικός συλλογισμός και η ανακριτική διείσδυση, τον οδηγούν σε ασφαλή συμπεράσματα, τα οποία διανθίζει με ένα ανάλαφρο χιούμορ. Πίσω από αυτό κρύβεται άλλωστε και διάθεση του Τσέστερτον για παρωδία πολλών υπερβολικών αστυνομικών μυθιστορημάτων τα οποία υπερβάλλουν τόσο ως προς τη δράση, όσο και στις αλλεπάλληλες, βεβιασμένες ανατροπές.
Μια άκρως αξιόλογη και πρωτότυπη συλλογή διηγημάτων, η οποία δε θα σας συγκλονίσει (περίμενα κάτι παραπάνω στο ψυχογραφικό/ηθογραφικό πεδίο), αλλά τοποθετημένη στο ιστορικό και λογοτεχνικό της συγκείμενο, δίνει αρκετή τροφή για σκέψη. Εξαιρετική (και με αξιόλογο επίμετρο) η έκδοση από το «Μάγμα», σε σημείο που σε κάνει να απορείς με κάποιους μεγάλους εκδοτικούς.
Ο πατέρας Μπράουν είναι ένας αντι-ηρωικός, αντι-μυθιστορηματικός και αντι-εμπορικός καθολικός ιερέας και -κάτι-σαν-ντετέκτιβ. Προφανώς δεν είχε ακούσει το «ή παπάς-παπάς ή ζευγάς-ζευγάς» του θυμόσοφου ελληνικού λαού (η συλλογή διηγημάτων πρωτοεκδόθηκε το 1926) και γι� αυτό καταπιάνεται με κάθε λογής μυστήρια και εγκλήματα, ευφάνταστα και μη, τελεσφόρα ή μη.
Δεν έχει τη γοητεία και το παράστημα του Σέρλοκ Χολμς, δεν είναι iconic σαν τον Ηρακλή Πουαρό, δεν καπνίζει μειλίχια την πίπα του σαν τον επιθεωρητή Μαιγκρέ. Είναι κακοσουλούπωτος, κοντόχοντρος και υποτονικός μέχρι ναρκοληψίας. Είναι όμως και ο πιο ανεπιτήδευτος λύτης μυστηρίων που έχω προσωπικά συναντήσει. Με βάση έναν στιβαρό και αδιαπέραστο ορθολογισμό ο οποίος δεν πηγάζει (μόνο) από τη θρησκεία, εστιάζει απευθείας στα μύχια της ψυχής και στη γενεσιουργό αιτία πίσω από κάθε κίνητρο.
Ταπεινός, αμήχανος σχεδόν κατά τη διαλεύκανση τω ν μυστηρίων, δε μοιράζει αφειδώς στομφώδη αποφθέγματα, δεν πλακώνει στις φάπες επίδοξους εχθρούς, κατορθώνει όμως να συγκροτήσει μια άκρως συμπαθητική και -παραδόξως- λογοτεχνική περσόνα η οποία καθρεφτίζει την κοσμοθεωρία και το ταλέντο του Τσέστερτον, αυτά που ανάγκασαν τον «πολύ» Αντόνιο Γκράμσι και ολόκληρο Χόρχε Λουις Μπόρχες να τον επαινέσουν αβίαστα.
Ο πατέρας Μπράουν δυσπιστεί απέναντι σε πολλά: στην πρόοδο για την πρόοδο, στα επιφανειακά συμπεράσματα, στο δίκαιο του ισχυρού, στον εξ� ανατολάς μυστικισμό-αποκρυφισμό, στα γιαλαντζί παραφυσικά φαινόμενα. Όμως η λογική, ο απαγωγικός συλλογισμός και η ανακριτική διείσδυση, τον οδηγούν σε ασφαλή συμπεράσματα, τα οποία διανθίζει με ένα ανάλαφρο χιούμορ. Πίσω από αυτό κρύβεται άλλωστε και διάθεση του Τσέστερτον για παρωδία πολλών υπερβολικών αστυνομικών μυθιστορημάτων τα οποία υπερβάλλουν τόσο ως προς τη δράση, όσο και στις αλλεπάλληλες, βεβιασμένες ανατροπές.
Μια άκρως αξιόλογη και πρωτότυπη συλλογή διηγημάτων, η οποία δε θα σας συγκλονίσει (περίμενα κάτι παραπάνω στο ψυχογραφικό/ηθογραφικό πεδίο), αλλά τοποθετημένη στο ιστορικό και λογοτεχνικό της συγκείμενο, δίνει αρκετή τροφή για σκέψη. Εξαιρετική (και με αξιόλογο επίμετρο) η έκδοση από το «Μάγμα», σε σημείο που σε κάνει να απορείς με κάποιους μεγάλους εκδοτικούς.
November 2, 2024
Good heavens, what a dull time Father Brown must have had on the American continent ;)
April 23, 2020
Οκτώ ιστορίες μυστηρίου με τον πάτερ Μπράουν που στο κεφάλι μου πήρε σάρκα και οστά σαν τον Σέρλοκ Χολμς με ράσα, Καθεμία από αυτές λύνεται από τον συμπαθή κληρικό κυρίως λόγω της οξυδέρκειας και της ικανότητάς του να παρατηρεί και να εκλογικεύει τα στοιχεία που κάθε φορά έχει στη διάθεσή του.
Όλες οι ιστορίες ποντάρουν στο ψυχολογικό και αναλυτικό στοιχείο και καθόλου στη δράση. Και ήταν ευχάριστο που για μια φορά, η λύση δίνεται από τις ήρεμες δυνάμεις, χωρίς πολλή επιτηδευμένη δράση.
Ευχάριστο ανάγνωσμα στις μέρες της καραντίνας.
Όλες οι ιστορίες ποντάρουν στο ψυχολογικό και αναλυτικό στοιχείο και καθόλου στη δράση. Και ήταν ευχάριστο που για μια φορά, η λύση δίνεται από τις ήρεμες δυνάμεις, χωρίς πολλή επιτηδευμένη δράση.
Ευχάριστο ανάγνωσμα στις μέρες της καραντίνας.
March 5, 2021
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven�.
Thus we can read in the book of Ecclesiastes, and there is justice in these words for if ever there be a time and a season for pseudo-philosophical waffle revolving, in countless tedious variations around the same topic, or for pompous prose which is occasionally brightened by a witty statement, more remarkable for its rarity than for its brilliance, then surely this will be the time and season for Gilbert Keith Chesterton and his amateur detective Father Brown because the two of them will serve this purpose best and impress a smug face on the bland surface of boredom.
I did not particularly enjoy the first volume of Father Brown’s adventures, and I can’t really say why I bothered to pick up the volume The Incredulity of Father Brown, except maybe that the titles of the stories sound very mysterious and promising. Who would not think of something portentous when reading the words The Oracle of the Dog, or of something memorable at sight of The Curse of the Golden Cross? But rest assured that Chesterton is a cheat: He will lure you into reading a story by giving it a title that tickles your imagination only as an excuse for edifying you with his religious views and spoon-feeding you with bits of awkwardly devised story-telling. His characters are puppets on strings that can be seen from miles away, his plots are repetitive and far-fetched [1], and the only thing that seems to matter to Chesterton is to hammer home his message, a message I ironically agree with, namely that so-called atheists and materialists are far from being religious in that they are ready to jump at any superstition or scientific theory as a stand-in for the rejected belief in God. You can see this in our day and age when the indisputable phenomenon of climate change has turned from a challenge that has to be addressed by the use of human ingenuity into an ersatz religion for lots of people, with Friday being their day for attending their particular service. Nevertheless, for all the truth that there may be in Chesterton’s premise, it is still very tiring to see every single story in this collection boil down to that kind of truism, which is handed down in an annoyingly self-complacent tone. Sooner or later the preacher and the dinner table philosopher will take over and hijack the poorly written story with his avuncular maunderings. It got so much on my nerves after a while that if I ever ran into Father Brown in real life, I would probably force him to swallow the umbrella he always carries along with him and then open it up at the last moment in order to give him some more tangible cause for his hitherto merely moral inflation.
You have to give it to this book, though, that the boredom it may cause does not exactly benumb the reader’s mind but can also stimulate it as my last suggestion showed: Reading it, I rather feel like writing a book myself. A self-help book along the lines of Twenty Ways of How to Help a Man Become a More Likeable Person with His Own Umbrella.
[1] In one story, for instance, he expects us to believe that three tramps team up to kill a man who insulted them donkey’s years ago, and commit their crime in a most roundabout way.
Thus we can read in the book of Ecclesiastes, and there is justice in these words for if ever there be a time and a season for pseudo-philosophical waffle revolving, in countless tedious variations around the same topic, or for pompous prose which is occasionally brightened by a witty statement, more remarkable for its rarity than for its brilliance, then surely this will be the time and season for Gilbert Keith Chesterton and his amateur detective Father Brown because the two of them will serve this purpose best and impress a smug face on the bland surface of boredom.
I did not particularly enjoy the first volume of Father Brown’s adventures, and I can’t really say why I bothered to pick up the volume The Incredulity of Father Brown, except maybe that the titles of the stories sound very mysterious and promising. Who would not think of something portentous when reading the words The Oracle of the Dog, or of something memorable at sight of The Curse of the Golden Cross? But rest assured that Chesterton is a cheat: He will lure you into reading a story by giving it a title that tickles your imagination only as an excuse for edifying you with his religious views and spoon-feeding you with bits of awkwardly devised story-telling. His characters are puppets on strings that can be seen from miles away, his plots are repetitive and far-fetched [1], and the only thing that seems to matter to Chesterton is to hammer home his message, a message I ironically agree with, namely that so-called atheists and materialists are far from being religious in that they are ready to jump at any superstition or scientific theory as a stand-in for the rejected belief in God. You can see this in our day and age when the indisputable phenomenon of climate change has turned from a challenge that has to be addressed by the use of human ingenuity into an ersatz religion for lots of people, with Friday being their day for attending their particular service. Nevertheless, for all the truth that there may be in Chesterton’s premise, it is still very tiring to see every single story in this collection boil down to that kind of truism, which is handed down in an annoyingly self-complacent tone. Sooner or later the preacher and the dinner table philosopher will take over and hijack the poorly written story with his avuncular maunderings. It got so much on my nerves after a while that if I ever ran into Father Brown in real life, I would probably force him to swallow the umbrella he always carries along with him and then open it up at the last moment in order to give him some more tangible cause for his hitherto merely moral inflation.
You have to give it to this book, though, that the boredom it may cause does not exactly benumb the reader’s mind but can also stimulate it as my last suggestion showed: Reading it, I rather feel like writing a book myself. A self-help book along the lines of Twenty Ways of How to Help a Man Become a More Likeable Person with His Own Umbrella.
[1] In one story, for instance, he expects us to believe that three tramps team up to kill a man who insulted them donkey’s years ago, and commit their crime in a most roundabout way.
February 9, 2013
While The Innocence of Father Brown and The Wisdom of Father Brown contain more spritely stories, by is still worthy of a closer look. If one goes to the Father Brown stories expecting to find more traditional whodunits, perhaps in the style of Arthur Conan Doyle or Richard Austin Freeman, he or she will be perplexed and disappointed. To begin with, Father Brown has no particular interest in seeing the guilty party being led to judgment. There are, in fact, no trials in these stories; and one is equally likely to see Father Brown passing heavier judgment on the victims than on the murderers.
In The Incredulity of Father Brown, all the stories involve murders. We find the usual Chesterton "moral landscape" -- in which the author paints a picture of nature somehow mirroring the fact that something is very wrong. A good example is this descriptive paragraph from "The Dagger with Wings":
As he wrote in 1930 in the Illustrated London News, "[t]he essence of a mystery tale is that we are suddenly confronted with a truth which we have never suspected and yet can see to be true." And that is what the Father Brown stories are all about.
In The Incredulity of Father Brown, all the stories involve murders. We find the usual Chesterton "moral landscape" -- in which the author paints a picture of nature somehow mirroring the fact that something is very wrong. A good example is this descriptive paragraph from "The Dagger with Wings":
The rolling country round the little town was sealed and bound with frost, and the sky was as clear and cold as steel except in the north-east, where clouds with lurid haloes were beginning to climb up the sky. It was against these darker and more sinister colours that the house on the hill gleamed with a row of pale pillars, forming a short colonnade of the classical sort. A winding road led up to it across the curve of the down, and plunged into a mass of dark bushes. Just before it reached the bushes, the air seemed to grow colder and colder, as if he were approaching an icehouse or the North Pole.By the time he solves the mystery, which he does, as is usual with him, with his lightning intuition, the priest wends his way back down the hill -- but the ominous quality is all gone, because the moral Gordian knot has been cut by the Father Brown's intellect:
When the priest went forth again and set his face homeward, the cold had grown more intense and yet was somehow intoxicating. The trees stood up like silver candelabra of some incredibly cold Candlemas of purification.Perhaps the best and most typical story in the collection is "The Doom of the Darnaways," in which a painting with a grim prediction has cast a pall of gloom over succeeding generations of an old English family:
In the seventh heir I shall return,The action is set in a half-ruined estate bordering the sea (with one of the best examples of Chesterton's moral landscapes). Fortunately, the little priest is there to unravel the skeins of gloom that are draped on this grim household.
In the seventh hour I shall depart,
None in that hour shall hold my hand,
And woe to her that holds my heart.
As he wrote in 1930 in the Illustrated London News, "[t]he essence of a mystery tale is that we are suddenly confronted with a truth which we have never suspected and yet can see to be true." And that is what the Father Brown stories are all about.
December 13, 2020
Più tre stelline e mezzo che quattro.
La raccolta contiene racconti con atmosfere da romanzo gotico, oscuri e lugubri palazzi dalle stanze buie e misteriose, costruzioni senza finestre, cripte sotterranee. Ma alla fine trionfa la limpidezza del buon senso e della logica di padre Brown, come una luce che illumina un cielo al crepuscolo.
I miei racconti preferiti:
Il miracolo di Moon Crescent
La fine dei Darnaway
Il pugnale con le ali
La raccolta contiene racconti con atmosfere da romanzo gotico, oscuri e lugubri palazzi dalle stanze buie e misteriose, costruzioni senza finestre, cripte sotterranee. Ma alla fine trionfa la limpidezza del buon senso e della logica di padre Brown, come una luce che illumina un cielo al crepuscolo.
I miei racconti preferiti:
Il miracolo di Moon Crescent
La fine dei Darnaway
Il pugnale con le ali
August 9, 2018
I love Father Brown stories so muuuch! I remember reading all of the books in 2016 in one go (the short stories of course) and it was so exciting and clever; I was thinking about them for ages afterwards!
October 10, 2022
Realmente 3.5 �
Muy entretenidas las tres historias y bastante adictivas. Para ser mi primera toma de contacto con Chesterton estoy bastante satisfecha.
Me han gustado mucho las reflexiones sociológicas del Padre Brown. 👌👍🏻
Muy recomendado leerlo como lectura ligera para no pensar después de alguna lectura más pesada o como lectura de una tarde.
Muy entretenidas las tres historias y bastante adictivas. Para ser mi primera toma de contacto con Chesterton estoy bastante satisfecha.
Me han gustado mucho las reflexiones sociológicas del Padre Brown. 👌👍🏻
Muy recomendado leerlo como lectura ligera para no pensar después de alguna lectura más pesada o como lectura de una tarde.
May 15, 2023
True to its title, this collection of stories by G.K Chesterton, featuring the humdrum but uncannily wise Father Brown as an unlikely sleuth of many an errant soul, is truly incredulous and audacious. Each story pushes the boundaries of logic and reason and each story has a truly surreal and even wildly, recklessly imaginative conspiracy or plot at its crux. That said, this is not only intentional but also skilfully contrived on the part of an author who was known, for lack of a better description, as the Prince of Paradox, a writer whose works revealed the central paradox evident in both morality and crime and whose strict but always candid adherence to his faith also led him to examine these ideas through a uniquely Catholic prism.
"The Incredulity of Father Brown" takes its titular priest and detective beyond the boundaries of his home land and a good number of the stories in this collection see him in the alienating milieu of America, the New World reigned by cutthroat capitalism and shallow materialism, two things that Chesterton, summoning all his satirical skill, critiques sharply without ever dimming his elegant English wit. Many of the characters, be it victims of heinous, even devilish crimes and conspiracies or their very perpetrators, are either greedy businessmen who care for little more than their vested interests or hypocrites and fanatics who are unshakable in their false convictions. To both, Father Brown stands as a perfect foil, a wise, genial, mostly mild-mannered but also wry-witted Englishman lamenting the moral and ethical decline of virtues across a world changing quickly with the turn of the new century and its new inventions and also presenting, coolly, his deductions of the crimes and inexplicable affairs as utterly plausible conclusions rooted more in pragmatism rather than superstition.
And thus, Chesterton is also able to deconstruct the idea of Father Brown as a priest and a representative of a faith; he puts the Catholic sleuth in the proper perspective of a man not misled by superstitions or bogus belief but rather a firm sense of belief in the tenets of his faith as well as the twisted but plausible rationalism of people, their motives and actions. This is what makes this little priest, with his broad hat and round features, such an astute inquisitor, albeit gentlemanly and empathetic, of the civilised world's fall from grace. His investigation and inquest of these crimes, which might sound shocking and sensational, the stuff of almost fantasies and lurid fiction, reveals his keen and candid understanding of the depths of decadence and immorality that the world of men can fall too, especially in view of a changing social and cultural atmosphere set in motion by the change of the century.
That does not mean, though, that these stories are merely didactic. Instead, this is a Catholic author, like Graham Greene, Evelyn Waugh and C.S Lewis, in the sense of an author who explored the dimensions and facets of his faith ardently but critically, who also believed in having his share of fun and laughter. The stories in this collection are indeed dark and even morbid but Chesterton enlivens proceedings skilfully by an abundance of his snappy wit, his skill for rendering characters with whimsy and mystery and his writing, which was both light-hearted and tense, both satirical and suspenseful at the same time. These eight stories, of which I have many favourites now to think of and revisit again and again, are once again a testament to the ingenuity and intelligence of one of the twentieth century's most compulsive, imaginative and thought-provoking storytellers.
"The Incredulity of Father Brown" takes its titular priest and detective beyond the boundaries of his home land and a good number of the stories in this collection see him in the alienating milieu of America, the New World reigned by cutthroat capitalism and shallow materialism, two things that Chesterton, summoning all his satirical skill, critiques sharply without ever dimming his elegant English wit. Many of the characters, be it victims of heinous, even devilish crimes and conspiracies or their very perpetrators, are either greedy businessmen who care for little more than their vested interests or hypocrites and fanatics who are unshakable in their false convictions. To both, Father Brown stands as a perfect foil, a wise, genial, mostly mild-mannered but also wry-witted Englishman lamenting the moral and ethical decline of virtues across a world changing quickly with the turn of the new century and its new inventions and also presenting, coolly, his deductions of the crimes and inexplicable affairs as utterly plausible conclusions rooted more in pragmatism rather than superstition.
And thus, Chesterton is also able to deconstruct the idea of Father Brown as a priest and a representative of a faith; he puts the Catholic sleuth in the proper perspective of a man not misled by superstitions or bogus belief but rather a firm sense of belief in the tenets of his faith as well as the twisted but plausible rationalism of people, their motives and actions. This is what makes this little priest, with his broad hat and round features, such an astute inquisitor, albeit gentlemanly and empathetic, of the civilised world's fall from grace. His investigation and inquest of these crimes, which might sound shocking and sensational, the stuff of almost fantasies and lurid fiction, reveals his keen and candid understanding of the depths of decadence and immorality that the world of men can fall too, especially in view of a changing social and cultural atmosphere set in motion by the change of the century.
That does not mean, though, that these stories are merely didactic. Instead, this is a Catholic author, like Graham Greene, Evelyn Waugh and C.S Lewis, in the sense of an author who explored the dimensions and facets of his faith ardently but critically, who also believed in having his share of fun and laughter. The stories in this collection are indeed dark and even morbid but Chesterton enlivens proceedings skilfully by an abundance of his snappy wit, his skill for rendering characters with whimsy and mystery and his writing, which was both light-hearted and tense, both satirical and suspenseful at the same time. These eight stories, of which I have many favourites now to think of and revisit again and again, are once again a testament to the ingenuity and intelligence of one of the twentieth century's most compulsive, imaginative and thought-provoking storytellers.
March 14, 2021
Οι εκδόσεις Μάγμα έχουν βγάλει ένα ποιοτικό και όμορφο βιβλίο όμως οι ιστορίες συνολικά είναι πολύ ανιαρές!
Δεν πολυ αναλύεται ο πατήρ μπράουν , για να καταλαβαίνουμε πως καταλήγει στη λύση των φόνων.
Στις ιστορίες παρουσιάζονται υπερβολικά πολλά άτομα τα οποία δεν έχουν κάποιο ρόλο στο φόνο ή στην εξέλιξη του μυστηρίου γενικότερα με αποτέλεσμα ο αναγνώστης να μπερδεύεται με αυτά που διαβάζει και στο τέλος να μην τον εξυπηρετεί σε τίποτα.
( Ήταν σχετικά καλές οι 1η , 2η , 3η και 7η ιστορίες )
Δεν πολυ αναλύεται ο πατήρ μπράουν , για να καταλαβαίνουμε πως καταλήγει στη λύση των φόνων.
Στις ιστορίες παρουσιάζονται υπερβολικά πολλά άτομα τα οποία δεν έχουν κάποιο ρόλο στο φόνο ή στην εξέλιξη του μυστηρίου γενικότερα με αποτέλεσμα ο αναγνώστης να μπερδεύεται με αυτά που διαβάζει και στο τέλος να μην τον εξυπηρετεί σε τίποτα.
( Ήταν σχετικά καλές οι 1η , 2η , 3η και 7η ιστορίες )
December 21, 2010
For whatever reason I didn’t get along that well with the previous collection featuring Mr Chesterton’s ecclesiastical detective � ‘The Wisdom of Father Brown�. I thought as I read the tales that they were somewhat laborious and lacking in substance. As such I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how much I’ve enjoyed the subsequent volume � ‘The Incredulity of Father Brown�. I can’t tell without reading them again back to back whether one volume is genuinely more fun than the other, or whether it was the case that I was just in the wrong mood last time, but I have been decidedly pleased with the eight stories in this collection.
The format remains unaltered: Father Brown finds himself involved in a case which seems to have a supernatural element, and whilst solving it bats away the preternatural part while simultaneously reaffirming how strong and true Catholicism is. (Chesterton was always a writer wedded to his faith). But within that format there’s room for variety; so here we have family curses, gothic tales, a musing on Capitalism versus Bolshevism and a very nice line in locked room mysteries. There’s even a tale where Father Brown becomes a celebrity sleuth in the mould of Sherlock Holmes thanks to these very stories.
What really makes them shine though is Chesterton’s wit and the quality of his prose, the aspects (along with his size and shape) which made him such a literary celebrity in the early Twentieth Century. Here, as an example, is the opening sentence of the second story in this collection, 'The Arrow of Heaven': "It is to be feared that about a hundred detective stories have begun with the discovery that an American millionaire has been murdered; an event which is, for some reason, treated as a sort of calamity." A line I liked so much that I quoted it on this site about fifteen minutes after I read it.
It’s a volume to dip into rather than take on a long train journey. I imagine reading them all in a day or so would prove rather repetitive, but taken in moderation each one is a lovely, sweet treat.
The format remains unaltered: Father Brown finds himself involved in a case which seems to have a supernatural element, and whilst solving it bats away the preternatural part while simultaneously reaffirming how strong and true Catholicism is. (Chesterton was always a writer wedded to his faith). But within that format there’s room for variety; so here we have family curses, gothic tales, a musing on Capitalism versus Bolshevism and a very nice line in locked room mysteries. There’s even a tale where Father Brown becomes a celebrity sleuth in the mould of Sherlock Holmes thanks to these very stories.
What really makes them shine though is Chesterton’s wit and the quality of his prose, the aspects (along with his size and shape) which made him such a literary celebrity in the early Twentieth Century. Here, as an example, is the opening sentence of the second story in this collection, 'The Arrow of Heaven': "It is to be feared that about a hundred detective stories have begun with the discovery that an American millionaire has been murdered; an event which is, for some reason, treated as a sort of calamity." A line I liked so much that I quoted it on this site about fifteen minutes after I read it.
It’s a volume to dip into rather than take on a long train journey. I imagine reading them all in a day or so would prove rather repetitive, but taken in moderation each one is a lovely, sweet treat.
August 18, 2016
This collection of crime short stories makes for a fascinating read. Father Brown is an unusual but great choice for a detective.
All the stories carry a supernatural element and Father Brown dislodges superstitious beliefs and solves crimes. My only grudge
with Father Brown is that he never saves the victim who comes to him for help but it's always a post murder whodunnit.
Forewarning, Chesterton's writing is laborious. It is difficult to read more than a story in one sitting.
All the stories carry a supernatural element and Father Brown dislodges superstitious beliefs and solves crimes. My only grudge
with Father Brown is that he never saves the victim who comes to him for help but it's always a post murder whodunnit.
Forewarning, Chesterton's writing is laborious. It is difficult to read more than a story in one sitting.
May 26, 2022
My favorite group of Father Brown short stories. I enjoyed the spooky settings and supernatural elements that accompanied the classic twist and turns of murder mystery.
February 15, 2025
Zo’n eeuw geleden schreef Chesterton de misdaadverhalen met de priester Father Brown in de hoofdrol. Ik herinner me dat mijn vader een fan van hem was. Hij had zelf de opleiding tot priester gevolgd. Father Brown is sterk in zijn waarnemingen en in zijn redeneringen. Als rijke miljonairs worden vermoord, zijn kennelijk favoriete slachtoffers, heeft hij oog voor weersomstandigheden, voor onverwachte windvlagen, voor schijnbare toevalligheden. Je verbaast je dan als lezer over de spitsvondigheid van zijn oplossingen. Het plezier van het lezen komt vooral ook door de humor, het Britse van de kleine in het zwart geklede man met zijn onafscheidelijke paraplu. In het Nederlands vertaald als ‘Father Brown laat zich niet foppen�.
March 13, 2021
Πολύ κουραστικό, το παράτησα στα μισά.
Υπερβολικά πολλοί ήρωες χωρίς λόγο και ουσία.
Υπερβολικά πολλοί ήρωες χωρίς λόγο και ουσία.
May 25, 2018
De camino a un cumpleaños, decidí pasarme por una librería de segunda mano para echar un vistazo. Como llevaba ya algún tiempo queriendo leer algo de Chesterton y su sensacional Padre Brown, una sonrisa de triunfo se dibujó en mi cara al verlo en una de las estanterías —entendedlo, es un libro relativamente pequeño y estaba en una sección equivocada, por lo que fue toda una casualidad (y encima, a un precio casi regalado)�.
Al principio pensé que el título que le pusieron a modo de hilo conductor estaba un poco cogido con pinzas; hasta que comprendí de qué se trataba. Todos los casos tienen en común la superstición y el cómo el protagonista llaga a la solución sin desviarse del razonamiento lógico y su vasto conocimiento sobre la mente humana (tantos años escuchando a los feligreses tras la rejilla del confesionario, surtieron efecto).
La prosa de Chesterton juega muy bien con las metáforas, pero sin hacerse en absoluto cargante. Todos los relatos se devoran a una velocidad pasmosa y dejan un buen sabor de boca. Sabe perfectamente en qué puntos ir al grano y en cuales detenerse, extenderse en alguna descripción o dejar que los personajes muevan la historia. La caracterización también fue algo que me conquistó. El énfasis en los rasgos más característicos de las víctimas o los sospechosos, hacía muy fácil no perderse cuando llegaba algún torrente de nombres.
Espero poder leer más aventuras del sacerdote, sobre todo en inglés.
Al principio pensé que el título que le pusieron a modo de hilo conductor estaba un poco cogido con pinzas; hasta que comprendí de qué se trataba. Todos los casos tienen en común la superstición y el cómo el protagonista llaga a la solución sin desviarse del razonamiento lógico y su vasto conocimiento sobre la mente humana (tantos años escuchando a los feligreses tras la rejilla del confesionario, surtieron efecto).
La prosa de Chesterton juega muy bien con las metáforas, pero sin hacerse en absoluto cargante. Todos los relatos se devoran a una velocidad pasmosa y dejan un buen sabor de boca. Sabe perfectamente en qué puntos ir al grano y en cuales detenerse, extenderse en alguna descripción o dejar que los personajes muevan la historia. La caracterización también fue algo que me conquistó. El énfasis en los rasgos más característicos de las víctimas o los sospechosos, hacía muy fácil no perderse cuando llegaba algún torrente de nombres.
Espero poder leer más aventuras del sacerdote, sobre todo en inglés.
Read
January 25, 2019Bom dia leitores, hoje venho falar da minha experiência na leitura do primeiro volume da saga de Father Brown/ Padre Brown.
Tenho acompanhado a série na televisão e tenho gostado - espero que passem a temporada 6 -, mas ainda não tinha lido os livros. Aliás, só soube que a série era inspirada em livros muito depois de a ter começado a ver.
Quem ainda não conhece a série ou os livros bastará imaginar as paisagem britânicas, um padre de sotaina, chapéu, guarda-chuva e a sua fiel bicicleta. Um padre que foge ao tradicional e que adora desvendar crimes e mistérios. Estando sempre no sítio certo à hora certa.
São histórias muito ao estilo de Agatha Christie, sem sangue, muito mistério e soluções extraordinárias.
Assim, depois de 5 temporadas de Padre Brown, li o primeiro volume dos livros. Pensei que fossem histórias grandes mas não, afinal, cada livro contém vários episódios. Este primeiro apresenta oito histórias, oito crimes resolvidos pelo padre Brown.
Devo confessar que ainda não estou rendida à escrita do autor. Pela primeira vez prefiro, não o filme, mas a série ao livro. A série está composta por alguns amigos do padre que o vão ajudando e que trazem carisma às histórias, são elas Sid, Mtrs. MacCartney, Boney, Lady Felicia, e o inspector.
Continuação e classificação:
Tenho acompanhado a série na televisão e tenho gostado - espero que passem a temporada 6 -, mas ainda não tinha lido os livros. Aliás, só soube que a série era inspirada em livros muito depois de a ter começado a ver.
Quem ainda não conhece a série ou os livros bastará imaginar as paisagem britânicas, um padre de sotaina, chapéu, guarda-chuva e a sua fiel bicicleta. Um padre que foge ao tradicional e que adora desvendar crimes e mistérios. Estando sempre no sítio certo à hora certa.
São histórias muito ao estilo de Agatha Christie, sem sangue, muito mistério e soluções extraordinárias.
Assim, depois de 5 temporadas de Padre Brown, li o primeiro volume dos livros. Pensei que fossem histórias grandes mas não, afinal, cada livro contém vários episódios. Este primeiro apresenta oito histórias, oito crimes resolvidos pelo padre Brown.
Devo confessar que ainda não estou rendida à escrita do autor. Pela primeira vez prefiro, não o filme, mas a série ao livro. A série está composta por alguns amigos do padre que o vão ajudando e que trazem carisma às histórias, são elas Sid, Mtrs. MacCartney, Boney, Lady Felicia, e o inspector.
Continuação e classificação:
February 4, 2012
Starts exciting with Father Brown in a tropical village, recovering from his own "murder", then degenerates into quasi-philosphical maunderings.
November 17, 2024
by
Finish date: 17.11.2024
Genre: 8 stories
Rating: A++
#Classic Short Stories
Good News: I've fallen under the spell of a man, round face blank with surprise, short-sighted in a rusty-black clerical garb.
I loved every mystery and awaited the clairon call of Fr. Brown repeted in every chapter: : "nonsense". Fr Brown, whose business is to believe in things.... admits he is doubtful, noncommittal,. That makes the stories so enjoyable...the irony of an agnostic priest (...aka the keenest of sleuths).
Bad News: Nothing to mention...the book was sheer delight!
Personal: I've seen Father Brown series on the TV but never stopped to watch it. Now I know what I've been missing. These stories have everything: ghosts, secret staircases, concealed weapons, suspect confessing to a crime that never was committed., a clairvoyant dog, Father Brown and some very nice wine....and a string of rosary beads!
#MustRead Classic
Finish date: 17.11.2024
Genre: 8 stories
Rating: A++
#Classic Short Stories
Good News: I've fallen under the spell of a man, round face blank with surprise, short-sighted in a rusty-black clerical garb.
I loved every mystery and awaited the clairon call of Fr. Brown repeted in every chapter: : "nonsense". Fr Brown, whose business is to believe in things.... admits he is doubtful, noncommittal,. That makes the stories so enjoyable...the irony of an agnostic priest (...aka the keenest of sleuths).
Bad News: Nothing to mention...the book was sheer delight!
Personal: I've seen Father Brown series on the TV but never stopped to watch it. Now I know what I've been missing. These stories have everything: ghosts, secret staircases, concealed weapons, suspect confessing to a crime that never was committed., a clairvoyant dog, Father Brown and some very nice wine....and a string of rosary beads!
#MustRead Classic
April 29, 2020
This set of stories featuring Father Brown was great fun! The majority of the stories have Father Brown in the US, and all of them feature Brown's signature umbrella and steel trap mind! Standouts in this collection include The Arrow of Heaven and The Oracle of the Dog. The Curse of the Golden Cross is a little long in the telling, but the climax is well worth it!
June 5, 2020
Alles sehr schön, aber man möchte die Geschichten mehr mögen, als man es tatsächlich tut. Father Brown ist leider etwas leblos.
July 18, 2021
Full of humor and not that confusing. This volume consists of scattered short stories that originated from various magazines publication. A classic indeed.
May 26, 2022
So far my favorite set of Father Brown mysteries.
Read
July 22, 2019My first encounter with Father Brown that didn't occur via television. It was very different to the TV show - no consistency of locations or characters bar Father Brown himself - but still enjoyable. The writing style took a little bit to get into, and could be a little slow-going, but for the most part the quality of the mysteries he could create in ~30 pages was worth it. Some stories were better than others; I wasn’t overly enamored with The Resurrection of Father Brown, but was v impressed by the conclusion of the The Arrow of Heaven.
It often felt as if Chesterton kept you occupied at the front door with the mystery while the teaching about human nature/theology/morality comes and hits you over the head through the window. An interesting but enjoyable sensation.
For example:
It often felt as if Chesterton kept you occupied at the front door with the mystery while the teaching about human nature/theology/morality comes and hits you over the head through the window. An interesting but enjoyable sensation.
For example:
And I hope it’s not against your principles to visit a modern sort of emperor like Merton.�Oof. Or:
‘Not at all,� said Father Brown, quietly. ‘It is my duty to visit prisoners and all miserable men in captivity.
‘Really,� protested Martin Wood, ‘I do think you should be the last man in the world to tinker about with those beautiful Gothic arches, which are about the best work your own religion has ever done in the world. I should have thought you’d have had some feeling for that sort of art.’[...]
‘If you don’t know that I would grind all the Gothic arches in the world to powder to save the sanity of a single human soul, you don’t know so much about my religion as you think you do,� answered Father Brown.
April 2, 2021
My first Chesterton and my first Father Brown. I usually like to start at the beginning, but I found this delicious looking paperback in a charity store and couldn't resist. Chesterton acknowledges his debt to Conan Doyle in a couple of these stories and yet he never manages to flesh out the character of Father Brown in any satisfying way. The same mechanic of introducing the priest as a peripheral character in a story before his wisdom and insight push him to the centre gets old very quickly. Ditto the mysterious death which everyone believes to be supernatural thoroughly debunked by the incongruously cynical man of faith.
There were some nice moments for sure, but the dialog was lumpen and les dénoûments frustrating and unsatisfying as they often take place weeks after the crime with very little dramatic tension.
There were some nice moments for sure, but the dialog was lumpen and les dénoûments frustrating and unsatisfying as they often take place weeks after the crime with very little dramatic tension.
August 29, 2024
Typographical errors scattered throughout this edition of the book dampened my enthusiasm a bit, but I still enjoyed this collection of Chesterton's Father Brown stories. Father Brown continues to remain in the background, quietly cogitating, then stepping forward to reveal conclusions that no one else has reached.
June 15, 2024
3.5 stars. A collection of eight short mostly murder mystery stories solved by Father Brown, the eccentric little priest.
This book was first published in 1926.
This book was first published in 1926.
December 31, 2024
Assim como os anteriores, os contos são sempre divertidos, instigantes, instrutivos e meditativos.
Recomendo assim como recomendei os volumes anteriores.
Recomendo assim como recomendei os volumes anteriores.
December 27, 2022
It is remarkable that Chesterton can keep Father Brown mysteries so interesting.
November 21, 2024
4.17 stars. These short stories are just plain enjoyable. It’s kind of strange how some murder or crime mysteries can be a nice and relaxing read/listen.
Some of my bookmarks:
Some of my bookmarks:
“That's what you call a paradox, isn't it?� asked the other.
“It's what I call common sense, properly understood,� replied Father Brown. “It really is more natural to believe a preternatural story, that deals with things we don't understand, than a natural story that contradicts things we do understand.�
Father Brown tossed the paper on the floor and sat bolt upright in his chair.
“You mustn't let that sort of stuff stupefy you,� he said sharply. “These devils always try to make us helpless by making us hopeless.�
The priest had stiffened a little and seemed in some strange way clothed with unconscious and impersonal dignity, for all his stumpy figure.
“Well,� he said, “you wouldn't suggest I should serve religion by what I know to be a lie? I don't know precisely what you mean by the phrase; and, to be quite candid, I'm not sure you do. Lying may be serving religion; I'm sure it's not serving God. And since you are harping so insistently on what I believe, wouldn't it be as well if you had some sort of notion of what it is?�
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