The King of Elflands Daughter, Lord Dunsany
The King of Elflands Daughter, Lord Dunsany
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The King of Elfland's Daughter

Author: Lord Dunsany

Narrator: Heidi Wall

Unabridged: 7 hr 19 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/19/2020


Synopsis

The King of Elfland’s Daughter, written by Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany or more commonly known as Lord Dunsany, is a classic of early fantasy fiction and its prose is the very sound of fantasy. One can hear the echos of this tale in later works by such authors as J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. The Parliament of Erl tells their king that they want a more magical king for the future. They believe magic will bring fame to their beloved, but unknown, little village. Honoring their request, the king sends his son to Elfland to seek as his bride, the King of Elfland's Daughter. The story travels from Erl to Elfland and back again meeting along the way magical creatures and enchanted lands as well as landscapes among the fields we know. The story unfolds as the magical and mundane worlds fail to mix quite as easily as the Parliament of Erl had planned.

About Lord Dunsany

Lord Dunsany was born in London in 1878, the scion of an Anglo-Irish family that could trace its ancestry to the twelfth century. In 1905 he self-published The Gods of Pegana, and its critical and popular success impelled the publication of numerous other collections of short stories, including A Dreamer's Tales, The Book of Wonder, and The Last Book of Wonder. Dunsany also distinguished himself as a dramatist, and his early plays-collected in Five Plays and Plays of Gods and Men-were successful in Ireland, England, and the United States. Dunsany was seriously injured during the Dublin riots of 1916, and he also saw action in World War I as a member of the Coldstream Guards.

In the 1920s Dunsany began writing novels, among them The King of Elfland's Daughter and The Blessing of Pan. He also wrote many tales of the loquacious clubman Joseph Jorkens, eventually collected in five volumes. His later plays include If, Plays of Near and Far, Seven Modern Comedies, and Plays for Earth and Air. By the 1930s, encouraged by W. B. Yeats and others to write about his native Ireland, he produced The Curse of the Wise Woman, The Story of Mona Sheehy, and other novels. His later tales were gathered in The Man Who Ate the Phoenix and The Little Tales of Smethers, but many works remain uncollected. Lord Dunsany died at Dunsany Castle in County Meath, Ireland, in 1957. He is recognized as a leading figure in the development of modern fantasy literature, influencing such writers as J. R. R. Tolkien, H. P. Lovecraft, and Ursula K. Le Guin.


Reviews

In fantasy, I've seen magic used in many ways: as plot device, curio, religious allegory, and the personification of morals, but rarely do I find a book where magic is truly magical. Too often, it's a convenience, a cliche, but for Dunsany, magic is pervasive, mysterious, unknowable, and lovely. He......more

Recommended for: Those who have patience and are comfortable with Victorian and poetic styles in prose, who have romantic souls, and people who enjoy reading poetry and who enjoy introspective, speculative, and exploratory literature and fanciful fantasy. Not recommended for : Those who prefer fast-......more

Goodreads review by Lena

Strong ancient myths vibe. Author copies that style so good that you get lost in his legent-like story compeeletly. A lot of architypes and easy reconizable symbols, but the story still has some uniqness. Reminds a lot of Tolkien.......more

Goodreads review by mark

a tale out of time: an old myth reinvented; a new myth born. a wayward bride, a forlorn husband, their son - a pitiless hunter. a defiant old woman; a melancholy old man. trolls delight in delight; unicorns are for slaughter. question: what is Time in Elfland? answer: a fantasy! twelve men want magi......more