The Westminster Alice

Saki was the pen-name of Hector Hugh Munro, an author and playwright best known for his subtle and witty short stories. He wrote these Wonderland-inspired vignettes for the "Westminster Gazette", and in 1902 these were collected and published together as "The Westminster Alice". Saki's stories use Lewis Carroll's Wonderland to criticize and parody early twentieth-century British politics-and do so with great ingenuity and cleverness. Francis Carruthers Gould's astute illustrations add to the enjoyment. A preface and footnotes by John Alfred Spender and afterword by Hugh Cahill help guide the reader into understanding and appreciating the context of Saki's parodies-though the fun they make of politicians needs no explanation! This second edition contains a previously uncollected chapter, "Alice Wants to Know".