The Great Political Maverick

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The Distributist movement attracted some followers but went nowhere; Chesterton was weak on describing the practical elements of any endeavor. But, as Ben Jolliffe points out in the English ecological magazine Resurgence (March/April 2003), his Distributist writings, with their pronounced similarities to the Small Is Beautiful philosophy and the democratic socialist movement, have influenced a wide variety of English thinkers, from artist Eric Gill to Catholic mystic Bede Griffiths.

As a young man, the influential critic and historian Garry Wills also embraced Chesterton's social vision. When William F. Buckley was considering hiring him for the National Review magazine in the early 1960s , he asked Wills if he was a conservative. 'I'm a Distributist,' Wills replied. 'Is that conservative?'

Buckley knew enough about Chesterton to say no-and hire Wills anyway. Soon Wills left the ranks of the right and became one of the liberal writers most likely to give conservatism its due-also very much in the spirit of GKC.

For more on the many-sided G. K. Chesterton, take a look at The Chesterton Review ($30/3 issues, from Intercollegiate Studies Institute, 800/526-7022; sample copy available), a well-produced scholarly journal that examines all aspects of Chesterton's life and work (including controversial issues like his alleged anti-Semitism and sympathy for elements of Italian fascism) and that of writers connected to or influenced by him. Gilbert! ($29.95/8 issues, from 3050 Gap Knob Rd., New Hope, KY 40052), in magazine format, applies Chestertonian ideas to contemporary issues, from religion to politics to romance -- with an emphasis on transcending traditional left and right perspectives, as GKC did.

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