''Gil Braltar'' is a
satirical short story
A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...
by French author
Jules Verne. It was first published together with ''
The Flight to France'' as a part of the ''
Extraordinary Voyages
The ''Voyages extraordinaires'' (; ) is a collection or sequence of novels and short stories by the French writer Jules Verne.
Fifty-four of these novels were originally published between 1863 and 1905, during the author's lifetime, and eig ...
'' series in
1887
Events
January–March
* January 11 – Louis Pasteur's anti-rabies treatment is defended in the Académie Nationale de Médecine, by Dr. Joseph Grancher.
* January 20
** The United States Senate allows the Navy to lease Pearl ...
.
The story is set in
Gibraltar
)
, anthem = " God Save the King"
, song = " Gibraltar Anthem"
, image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg
, map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe
, map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green
, mapsize =
, image_map2 = Gib ...
. A Spanish man named Gil Braltar dresses up as a
barbary macaque and becomes leader of a group of barbary macaques
living there. He incites attack on a fortress in Gibraltar. The attack, initially successful, is foiled by a British general. This general is so ugly that the monkeys believe he was one of them and obey him when he leads them out. Verne's conclusion is that in the future only the ugliest generals will be sent to Gibraltar to keep the territory in British hands.
See also
* ''
In the Year 2889'', Jules Verne's 1889 short story, also mentions Gibraltar as the last remnant of a
British Empire
The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...
that has lost control over the
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...
.
External links
Complete original text of the story (French)
{{Authority control
1887 short stories
Short stories by Jules Verne
Gibraltar in fiction