Remember, remember the 5th of November
…and it is that time of the year again. Have you heard of Guy Fawkes? Since I live in Greece, it was years before I heard of him, and I was lucky enough to find about him through books. For anyone unfamiliar with the figure, he was an English soldier living in the era of King James. In a time of persecution of Catholics, he gathered a small group and decided that oppression should and would stop only in one way; the assassination of the King. So they planned to blow up the Parliament. The plan failed, however, and Guy Fawkes was arrested, tortured and sentenced to death. This is a really really short and simple version of it, so if you want to know more about the persona that inspired (and still inspires) thousands of people, here are some books on Guy Fawkes.
Faith and Treason: The Story of the Gunpowder Plot
The author narrates in details the era of King James I, the conditions of the Gunpowder Treason, and the life of Guy Fawkes, in the form of a detective story.
The secret life of Guy Fawkes
This book’s mains focus is the life of Fawkes. What do we know about him? What secrets did his life hold? Why was he against the reign of King James I? A book that is as close to historical documents as possible, it is certainly worth a read.
V for Vendetta
No, not the movie. The graphic novel the movie was based on. This is not the story of Guy Fawkes, but it is highly inspired by it. In a post-apocalyptic United Kingdom, a strange man in a Guy Fawkes mas, V, decides to overturn the fascist British government. One of the most beautiful and meaningfyl (in my humble opinion ) graphic novels of all time.
Guy Fawkes
Probably the earliest piece of literature about Guy Fawkes, the novel was written as a serial between January and November 1840. The story is based on the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, for which the writer relied on historical documents describing the trial and execution, but he also enriched the facts with characters of his own.
