Unusual for an Anthony Trollope novel, ‘The Fixed Period’ is a story set in the future – in 1980. It is based in the fictional land of Britannula, where a group of young New Zealanders had broken free of British sovereignty and set up their own government. The novel is narrated by the first President of Britannula, John Neverbend. The story explores their radical attitude to the elderly population and their ‘The Fixed Period’ law, much advocated for by Neverbend, which rules that all citizens must be euthanised in their 67th year. As the population of Britannula gradually ages we discover the inhabitants changing attitude to a law they so enthusiastically supported in their youth.
Anthony Trollope (1815 – 1882) was a Victorian writer and author of 47 novels. He also wrote an autobiography, short stories and plays, travel articles, reviews and lectures. A prolific writer, he made no secret of the fact that money was his motivation for writing – an admission which raised eyebrows among his literary contemporaries at the time. The amount of works Trollope authored are testament to his belief in hard work. His first successful novel was The Warden followed by its sequel, Barchester Towers. The Chronicles of Barsetshire are perhaps his most well-known series of novels, though many of his works have been adapted for TV and radio, starring many familiar faces such as Alan Rickman, David Tennant, Bill Nighy and Tom Hollander. Alongside his literary career, Trollope also worked for some time for the Post Office and is credited with the introduction of the iconic post box to Britain. A memorial to Anthony Trollope was unveiled in Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey in 1993.