Mule! - David Jenkins

Plato meets Aesop in the shape of a philosophising, talking mule in this hard-hitting, political fable that reimagines 'The Last Days of Socrates' for a contemporary readership.

'Mule!' is modern day political satire that coalesces the spirits of Orwell, Plato and Aesop. The main protagonist is a dauntless mule whose itinerant existence has been dedicated to exemplifying the virtues of reason, truth, wisdom and justice. Swiftly elected as a London MP, he can't stop asking uncomfortable questions of the powerful. His foray into public service has quickly won him the support of the nation's youth. But is Britain's tottering democracy capable of tolerating and withstanding the form of endless interrogation favoured by this four-legged provocateur?

This timely political satire reflects the moral and existential choices facing our own liberal, democratic societies today. During an era of anxiety provoked by the rise of the populist right, society cries out for champions of the underdog, the outsider and the misrepresented. 'Mule!' gives stirring voice to just such an advocate of honesty and virtue.