A Modest Proposal

Jonathan Swift

⏱ 8 minSatire

A public-spirited gentleman, grieved by Ireland's starving poor, works out — with the cold courtesy of an economist — the arithmetic of fattening their year-old babies and selling them as a delicacy for the rich. Swift's most savage satire, reasonable to the last comma.

Listen to the whole of A Modest Proposal in about 8 minutes — professionally narrated, with Apple-Music-style synced subtitles. One book free every day; Folio Premium unlocks the entire library.