The Man Who Was Thursday: a Nightmare - G. K. Chesterton - The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare is a novel by G. K. Chesterton, first published in 1908. The book is sometimes referred to as a metaphysical thriller. In Edwardian era London, Gabriel Syme is recruited at Scotland Yard to a secret anti-anarchist police corpsGilbert Keith Chesterton, KC (29 May 1874 – 14 June 1936), turned into an English author, poet, philosopher, dramatist, journalist, orator, lay theologian, biographer, and literary and artwork critic. Chesterton is often called the "prince of paradox". Time mag has determined of his writing fashion: "Whenever viable Chesterton made his points with popular sayings, proverbs, allegories—first carefully turning them inside out." Chesterton is well known for his fictional priest-detective Father Brown, and for his reasoned apologetics. Even a number of those who disagree with him have regarded the huge enchantment of such works as Orthodoxy and The Everlasting Man.