Enoch Soames

Name of a story by the British writer Max Beerbohm. The story is best known for its nice and humorous use of the idea of time travel: The main character, Enoch Soames, a poor and hopeless writer, one day in 1897 makes a contract with the devil to be able to spend one afternoon in the reading room of the British Museum exactly one hundred years in the future in the year 1997, just to know what posterity thinks about him and his work. However, the only proof of his existence he can find in all the library books is a scholary article which mentions (in what the author assumes to be late 20th century spelling) a story of Max Beerbohm "in wich e pautraid an immajnari karrakter kauld "Enoch Soames"--a thurd-rait poit hoo beleevz imself a grate jeneus an maix a bargin with th Devvl in auder ter no wot posterriti thinx ov im!" ("in which he portrayed an immaginary character called "Enoch Soames"--a third-rate poet who believes himself a great genius and makes a bargain with the Devil in order to know what posteriority thinks of him!") An article by Teller in The Atlantic Monthly in November 1997 describes what happened to the people who actually went to the museum on the designated afternoon to see if Soames showed up.

Related Topics:
British - Max Beerbohm - Time travel - Enoch Soames - 1897 - British Museum - 1997 - Teller - The Atlantic Monthly

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