Saturday, May 05, 2012

Father of Fantasy - George MacDonald

The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald (1872)AbeBooks: Father of Fantasy - George MacDonald: George MacDonald (1824-1905) - a Scottish Victorian novelist - was well-read and revered by an impressive selection of literary figures. CS Lewis, CK Chesterton, JRR Tolkien, Madeleine L'Engle and Mark Twain (who apparently initially disliked MacDonald but ultimately became his friend) have all cited MacDonald as being a large influence on their own work. His lecturing and views brought him wide recognition and respect. MacDonald wrote over 50 books, including, poetry, novels, short stories, fantasy, sermons and essays. Many of his novels were part autobiographical and focused on his upbringing and life in Scotland.

2 comments:

Elizabeth Foxwell said...

George MacDonald is the grandfather of Philip MacDonald (_Warrant for X_, _The List of Adrian Messenger_, etc.)

Todd Mason said...

I tried PHANTASTES when young, and have only infrequently revisited his work since. Interesting that Philip was related.