Saki was the pen-name of Hector Hugh Munro, an author and playwright
best known for his subtle and witty short stories. He wrote these
Wonderland-inspired vignettes for the "Westminster Gazette", and in 1902
these were collected and published together as "The Westminster Alice".
Saki's stories use Lewis Carroll's Wonderland to criticize and parody
early twentieth-century British politics-and do so with great ingenuity
and cleverness. Francis Carruthers Gould's astute illustrations add to
the enjoyment. A preface and footnotes by John Alfred Spender and
afterword by Hugh Cahill help guide the reader into understanding and
appreciating the context of Saki's parodies-though the fun they make of
politicians needs no explanation! This second edition contains a
previously uncollected chapter, "Alice Wants to Know".