Penguin Island
- First published
- 1908
- Reading level
- Plain English
- Price
- Free
About the book
"Penguin Island" by Anatole France is a satirical novel published in 1908. When a nearly blind monk mistakes great auks for humans and baptizes them, Heaven must resolve the dilemma by transforming the birds into people. What follows is a sweeping fictional history of Penguinia that mirrors France and Western Europe, spanning from the Dark Ages through modernity and beyond. France lampoons the Dreyfus affair, the origins of religion, property, and law, and human nature itself in this biting commentary on civilization's follies.
- Satire
- Penguins
- Civilization, Western
- France
Updated September 2026. Public domain in the USA. Text and summary from Project Gutenberg eBook #1930. Penguin Island on Wikipedia.
