The Interlopers

I think that had Saki not had such cruel and unforgiving guardians as the 2 aunts who raised him, we would not have the gems that he wrote later on in life. Saki is the pen name of Hector Hugh Monroe born in Burma in 1871. While visiting England in 1872, his mother Mary was charged by a cow. She was so shocked that she miscarried and died days later. Because of this, his father shipped their 3 children back to England. He was only 2 years old when he was sent to live with his grandmother and two unmarried aunts on his father’s side.

He published The Rise of the Russian Empire in 1900; his only serious historical work. He is regarded as a master of the short story and was influenced by Oscar Wilde, Rudyard Kipling and Lewis Carroll. He was killed by a German sniper in November of 1916 during the Great War. Apparently, his last words were: “Put that bloody cigarette out!”

The Interlopers is a very dark story about retribution. Two men quarrel over land and accuse the other of interloping. In the end, who are the real interlopers? And who will pay?