G.K. Chesterton, also commonly referred to as the prince of paradox, was a legendary British writer in the early twentieth century. Chesterton was a very prolific author and his writing is distinguished due to its sharp wit. Chesterton's books cover a wide arrange of topics but his most famous works centered around religious topics and the short stories on the priest-detective Father Brown. The Defendant, published in 1901, is a collection of essays on various subjects such as his detective stories and some of the important events of Chesterton's time.