Old Thunder: A Life of Hilaire Belloc

The subject of this biography, Hilaire Belloc (1870-1953), was one of the most prolific and thought-provoking writers of his age. Well known for his literary collaboration and friendship with G.K. Chesterton, Belloc continues to fascinate, both as a social commentator and a master of finely crafted prose and verse. As President of the Oxford Union, he immersed himself in historical studies and championed Catholicism. Later, as a Liberal Member of Parliament, he became disillusioned with party politics, expressing his sentiments on both Socialism and Capitalism in his novels and pamphlets. He was and is admired for his understanding of modern England. Belloc's romantic and solitary character is found in his verse, and in the powerful love story of his long courtship of Elodie Hogan and his desolation after her death.