Hadrian the Seventh

by Frederick Rolfe

"Hadrian the Seventh" by Frederick Rolfe is a novel published in 1904. George Arthur Rose, a failed candidate for the priesthood, is unexpectedly summoned to Rome where the Papal Conclave has reached deadlock. Against all odds, he is elected Pope and takes the name Hadrian VII. As the first English Pope in centuries, this unconventional, chain-smoking outsider sets out to reform the Church and reshape the modern world, rewarding friends and confronting enemies with charm and determination.