The History of Mr Polly

The History of Mr. Polly is a comic novel by H. G. Wells first published in 1910.

Alfred Polly is a rather shy young man, somewhat lost in life, living in Edwardian England. He combines his bohemian spirit with being part of a rather rigid bourgeois social system that restricts his actions.

He lives in a fictitious village, in Kent, where he really hates everything around him: his work, his neighbors, his wife and in general the village itself. He was really bitter.

The book begins to detail his life, from childhood to his marriage to his cousin and the establishment of his clothing store. A series of events and adventures will lead him to change his life completely and free himself from those social ties.

The story of this antihero is based on H. G. Wells' own work experiences in the clothing business.