“If you want to understand me,” says Pope Francis, “read this book.”
Speaking to a planeload of reporters on his way home from a visit to the Philippines in January 2015, the Pope explained that a reading of Lord Of The World would help people understand his fears for a secular society, including the promotion of contraception and gay marriage, a phenomenon he had described as “ideological colonisation” in Manila.
First published in 1907 as a response to the utopian, atheistic vision of British author H.G.Wells, Lord Of The World was written by Robert Hugh Benson, an Etonian author who also specialised in ghost stories.
Set in the 21st century, Lord Of The World sees socialists, humanists and Freemasons taking over a society where euthanasia is obligatory for the ill, Esperanto is the common language, and everyone travels by ‘volor’, a form of Zeppelin. Religion has been suppressed. The antichrist returns, becoming the president of the world before going to war with the Catholic Church, precipitating the end of the world.
Benson, formerly an Anglican priest, wrote his dark vision of the future, often cited as one of the first modern dystopias, after converting to Catholicism in 1904 and becoming a Catholic priest.
The youngest son of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Benson hailed from literary stock. One brother, Edward Frederic Benson, wrote the Mapp and Lucia comic novels, while another, Arthur Christopher Benson, wrote the words for Land of Hope and Glory, and also Hugh – Memoirs of a Brother, the biography that comes free with this profusely illustrated edition.
“I had never heard of this author and it took me quite a while to realize that the book had been written so long ago as many of its themes and imagery were so frighteningly and believably modern. How spot on was he about the materialism and spiritual emptiness of the modern world. I believe his vision of the future is closer to the truth than either Orwell or Huxley whose dystopian works are so much better known. This seemed particularly amazing when I found out at the end that Benson wrote his book well before the First World War.
The book itself is like a Catholic version of End Times fiction. It is however by far the most beautiful and moving end times book I have ever read. Beautiful, poetic, with a seam of implacable sadness and tragedy throughout. I know nothing about pre-Vatican 2 Catholicism but this book really showed why many people at the time were so upset about Vatican 2’s changes and reforms, particularly to the liturgy of the Mass. Pre Vatican 2 Catholicism was just a completely different religion to modern Catholicism, judging by this book anyway. Benson gives an incredibly moving rendition of this earlier faith, with all its poetry, mysticism and mystery. How sad that it has all but disappeared nowadays.” 5★ Amazon review
“An amazing book. How Benson foretold the 21st century in 1907 I cannot imagine. It’s not just a science fiction book – it is everything from morals and theology to future possibilities. I couldn’t stop reading it, and I have suggested it to many acquaintances – although I chose carefully before I recommended it. You could love it or hate it, but you should read it.“ 5★ Amazon review