Penguin Island

A short-sighted old monk sails to a cold northern island and, mistaking a colony of great auks for people, baptizes them. Heaven is thrown into confusion, and the only solution is to turn the birds into human beings. From that absurd beginning Anatole France spins a mock history of Penguinia, a nation that follows the same course as France and Western Europe through the Dark Ages, the age of kings, revolution, and modern politics. The satire cuts at the church, nationalism, war, and the scandal of the Dreyfus Affair, all delivered in his cool, ironic voice. First published in 1908, it ranks among his sharpest books. This free PDF and EPUB edition uses the translation by A. W. Evans.