Saki was the pseudonym of short story writer Hector Hugh Munro. He adopted the name in 1900, and it's believed to have been taken from a character from the works of the Persian poet, Omar Khayyam. Most famous for his short stories, Saki also wrote novels and many articles of journalism. He remains an important figure in the tradition of modern English writers, although his politics and ideas may seem somewhat distant to us today. He left stories such as Tobermory, about a cat that learns to talk and can't be made to shut up. St. Vespaluus was first published in 1911. The title character a young man who, like his king, is a pagan whose religion worships snakes. Vespaluus is chosen by the king as heir to his throne until suddenly he renounces snake worshipping and converts to Christianity. For this, he is sentenced to death by the quite unusual method of being stung by bees. However, a beekeeper surreptitiously removes each of the stingers which save his life which is viewed as a miracle by the people who decide that Vespaluus must be onto something with conversion and decide en masse to become Christians themselves. The ironic twist is that Vespaluus only made a show of converting as a means of ticking off the king. In reality, he still worships snakes and is completely undone by the unintended outcome of his little joke… Listen online to free English audiobook "St. Vespaluus” on our website to experience Saki's work.
