''Simon Called Peter'' is a novel by

Robert Keable Robert Keable (6 March 1887 – 22 December 1927) was a British novelist, formerly a missionary and priest in the Church of England. He resigned his ministry following his experiences in the First World War and caused a scandal with his 1921 no ...

(1887–1927) which was a best-seller in 1921. The title is a reference to

Simon Peter ) (Simeon, Simon) , birth_date = , birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire , death_date = Between AD 64–68 , death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire , parents = John (or Jonah; Jona) , occupation ...

the apostle and first Pope of the Catholic Church. In 1921 it was met with astonishing success, and its runaway popularity won Keable a level of celebrity. The book reportedly sold over 600,000 copies during the 1920s, reaching a 66th edition by 1922. A largely autobiographical work, Simon Called Peter is the tale of a priest, Peter Graham, who has an affair in wartime France with a nurse named Julie. The title character almost abandons his faith for love, but experiences a direct revelation of Christ while watching a Catholic mass and is given up by his lover, who sees his sincerity. The book was controversial at its introduction due to its sexual and religious content. It was made into a play in 1924 by

Jules Eckert Goodman Jules Eckert Goodman (November 2, 1876 – July 10, 1962) was an American playwright and author. He was best known for his plays ''The Man Who Came Back'' (1916), '' The Silent Voice'' (1914), ''Chains'' (1923), and a series of plays featuring ...

and

Edward Knoblock Edward Knoblock (born Edward Gustavus Knoblauch; 7 April 1874 – 19 July 1945) was a playwright and novelist, originally American and later a naturalised British citizen. He wrote numerous plays, often at the rate of two or three a year, of whic ...

; which had a short run on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

. This book is referred to in ''

The Great Gatsby ''The Great Gatsby'' is a 1925 novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, near New York City, the novel depicts first-person narrator Nick Carraway's interactions with mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby ...

''. Nick Carraway, the narrator, reads a chapter and claims that "either it was terrible stuff or the whisky distorted things, because it didn't make any sense to me." The novel was followed by a sequel, ''Recompense'', published in 1924,
'' Time (magazine), Time'' April 21, 1924. which was made into a 1925 motion picture with the same title.

References

External links

* 1921 American novels {{US-novel-stub