Westminster Alice

Step into a whimsical yet biting exploration of British politics through the eyes of Alice, penned by Saki in 1902, five years before John Kendrick Bangs introduced his own take with Alice in Blunderland. In this series of satirical articles, Alice encounters a political landscape even more bewildering than Wonderland itself. While the satires relevance has faded over time, understanding the historical context enriches the experience. As a non-historian, Ive delved into the political intricacies to provide notes that help illuminate the events and characters for todays listener. You can find these notes available in both audio and text formats on the Internet Archive. Despite the distance of a century, some political absurdities remain unchanged, and Sakis sharp wit stands in stark contrast to much of todays political satire. As the Red Queen aptly observes I dont know what business you have here, if you dont belong to the Cabinet; of course... there are so many of them, and theyre mostly so unimportant that one cant be expected to remember all their faces. (Introduction by Ruth Golding)