Gil Braltar

Gil Braltar is a satirical short story by Jules Verne parodying British colonialism. It was first published together with The Flight to France as a part of Voyages Extraordinaires series (The Extraordinary Voyages) in 1887.

The story is set in British fortress and colony Gibraltar. A man, a Spaniard named Gil Braltar, dresses up as a monkey and becomes leader of a group of monkeys living there (Barbary Macaque). He incites attack on the fortress. 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 colony in British hands.

See also

• The Day of an American Journalist in 2889, a Jules Verne's 1889 short story, also mentions Gibraltar as the last remnant of a British Empire that has lost the British Isles themselves.

External links

• Complete original text of the story (French)