"Our Lady of Desperation"

Title"Our Lady of Desperation"
Year for Search1979
AuthorsRoberts, Keith [John Kingston](1935-2000)
Secondary TitleLadies From Hell
Pagination13-53
Date Published1979
PublisherVictor Gollancz
Place PublishedLondon
KeywordsEnglish author, Male author
Annotation

Dystopian satire. After a revolution in the U.K. in which the Civil Service becomes dominant a four class system is established. Class A (the Civil Service and other powerful people) pays no taxes and classes B and C pay taxes at the rate of 60 and 70 percent respectively. Class D, the focus of the story and composed "anybody on whom the suspicion of creativity falls" (21) is supposed to pay at the 70% rate, but an error in the law allows them to make considerable incomes. In response the government assigns a minder to every individual in Class D to oversee all their activities.

Holding Institutions

SFF, O, PSt

Author Note

(1935-2000)

Full Text

1979 Roberts, Keith [John Kingston] (1935-2000). “Our Lady of Desperation.” In his Ladies From Hell (London: Victor Gollancz, 1979), 13-53. SFF, O, PSt

Dystopian satire. After a revolution in the U.K. in which the Civil Service becomes dominant a four class system is established. Class A (the Civil Service and other powerful people) pays no taxes and classes B and C pay taxes at the rate of 60 and 70 percent respectively. Class D, the focus of the story and composed “anybody on whom the suspicion of creativity falls” (21) is supposed to pay at the 70% rate, but an error in the law allows them to make considerable incomes. In response the government assigns a minder to every individual in Class D to oversee all their activities.