Disclosure : This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

The Vatican Cellars

Set in the 1890s, Andre Gide`s famous satire centres around a group of ingenious fraudsters (`The Millipede`) who convince their wealthy victims that the pontiff has been imprisoned in the Vatican cellars, and a false Pope has been enthroned in his place. Posing as clergy, they con money by promising to obtain the true Pope`s release and restoration. The book features one of Gide`s most memorable creations: the amoral Lafcadio, who in pushing a man from a moving train commits the ultimate motiveless crime. Unavailable in the UK for 25 years, this scandalous, funny and highly original novel has been re-translated to mark the centenary of its publication. Supported by English PEN.