The Dream of the Celt

In the summer of 1916, Roger Casement is in London's Pentonville Prison, waiting to be hanged. Dublin is in ruins after the disastrous Easter Rising, which his fellow Irish Volunteers led. He was captured after arriving from a German submarine. During the previous year, he worked to form an Irish brigade from captured soldiers so they could join the Germans in fighting the British Empire, which had knighted him shortly before. His request for mercy is now in danger because his personal diary and his concealed life as a gay man have become known.

Why You Should Read?

• Follow Roger Casement as he waits in London's Pentonville Prison for his execution.
• Explore the ruined city of Dublin after the Easter Rising led by his fellow Volunteers.
• Learn how he tried to build an Irish brigade from captured soldiers to fight with Germany.
• Discover why his private diary and hidden gay life endangered his plea for mercy.

About the Author

Mario Vargas Llosa was Peruvian and worked as a novelist, journalist, essayist, and politician. He wrote literary criticism and journalism. He produced novels in many kinds, among them comedies, murder mysteries, historical fiction, and political thrillers. He gained worldwide recognition during the 1960s through books like The Time of the Hero, The Green House, and Conversation in The Cathedral. Several of his works became feature films, including Captain Pantoja and the Special Service and Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter. His Peruvian background shaped many of his works.