Dale Ahlquist

Dale Ahlquist is the president of the Society of Gilbert Keith Chesterton and the author of five books about Chesterton, including The Complete Thinker and Common Sense 101. We chat about Chesterton's 1930 visit to Notre Dame, his interdisciplinary approach to writing, and (spoiler alert!) the meaning of The Man Who Was Thursday.

• The Society of Gilbert Keith Chesterton — Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874-1936) is a writer like none other. As a journalist, he wrote thousands of essays for the London newspapers. But he also wrote a hundred books: novels, poetry, plays, literary criticism, history, economic theory, philosophy, and theology. And detective stories. He wrote on every conceivable subject, but his vast output is matched only by the consistency and clarity of his thought, his uncanny ability to tie everything together. In the heart of nearly every paragraph lies a jaw-dropping aphorism or sparkling paradox that leaves readers shaking their heads in wonder.
• Poem: The Arena (Dedicated to the University of Notre Dame, Indiana) — On Saturday, Oct. 11, 1930, in the inaugural game at Notre Dame Stadium, the Irish beat Navy, 26-2. Chesterton was in attendance. "The Arena" is his poem commemorating the occasion.
• The G. K. Chesterton Collection — The University of Notre Dame's London Global Gateway is proud to house the G.K. Chesterton Library. As well as being the premier English Catholic intellectual of the 20th century, Chesterton had a very specific connection to the University of Notre Dame: he was named a visiting professor and given an honorary degree in 1930. It is appropriate that Notre Dame, widely recognized to be the leading Roman Catholic teaching and research university in the United States, is home to such a remarkable collection. Serving as a tangible connection between the Notre Dame main campus and the London Global Gateway, the collection also aims to unite the University with the broader Roman Catholic community in the United Kingdom.
• Book: "My Name is Lazarus" — 34 stories of converts whose path to Rome was paved by G.K. Chesterton. Edited with an introduction by Dale Ahlquist. Jewish converts, Muslim converts, former atheists, agnostics, and Protestants of all stripes. Drawn to Chesterton for utterly different reasons. All arriving at the same destination.
• Book: "G.K. Chesterton: The Apostle of Common Sense" — This book is the perfect introduction to Chesterton. Dale Ahlquist is an able guide who takes the reader through twelve of Chesterton’s most important books as well as the famous Father Brown stories.
• Theme Song: "I Dunno" by grapes — I dunno by grapes (c) copyright 2008 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: J Lang, Morusque