Lord Dunsany’s The King of Elfland’s Daughter is one of the most beloved fantasy novels of our time. The surpassingly charming, dreamlike, and wildly imaginative tale takes place in the ancient land of Erl, which borders the ethereal world of Elfland. When the elders of Erl decide they wish to be ruled by a magic lord, Alverac, the firstborn son of the king, must venture to Elfland for a bride. Magical adventures and mysterious encounters ensue in this story about the power of bonds that are forged in the heart. Praised by the likes of H. P. Lovecraft, J. R. R. Tolkien, Guillermo del Toro, Neil Gaiman, Jorge Luis Borges, and Ursula Le Guin, this poetic, sweeping tale is a timeless masterpiece. This Warbler Classics edition includes a biographical timeline.
Tabella dei contenuti
Contents
Prefaceix
Chapter I. The Plan of the Parliament of Erl1
Chapter II. Alveric Comes in Sight of the Elfin Mountains6
Chapter III. The Magical Sword Meets Some of the Swords of Elfland11
Chapter IV. Alveric Comes Back to Earth After Many Years16
Chapter V. The Wisdom of the Parliament of Erl19
Chapter VI. The Rune of the Elf King23
Chapter VII. The Coming of the Troll26
Chapter VIII. The Arrival of the Rune30
Chapter IX. Lirazel Blows Away35
Chapter X. The Ebbing of Elfland39
Chapter XI. The Deep of the Woods43
Chapter XII. The Unenchanted Plain47
Chapter XIII. The Reticence of the Leather-Worker52
Chapter XIV. The Quest for the Elfin Mountains56
Chapter XV. The Retreat of the Elf King60
Chapter XVI. Orion Hunts the Stag64
Chapter XVII. The Unicorn Comes in the Starlight68
Chapter XVIII. The Grey Tent in the Evening70
Chapter XIX. Twelve Old Men Without Magic74
Chapter XX. A Historical Fact79
Chapter XXI. On the Verge of Earth83
Chapter XXII. Orion Appoints a Whip87
Chapter XXIII. Lurulu Watches the Restlessness of Earth92
Chapter XXIV. Lurulu Speaks of Earth and the Ways of Men97
Chapter XXV. Lirazel Remembers the Fields We Know101
Chapter XXVI. The Horn of Alveric106
Chapter XXVII. The Return of Lurulu112
Chapter XXVIII. A Chapter on Unicorn-Hunting116
Chapter XXIX. The Luring of the People of the Marshes119
Chapter XXX. The Coming of Too Much Magic123
Chapter XXXI. The Cursing of Elfin Things127
Chapter XXXII. Lirazel Yearns for Earth129
Chapter XXXIII. The Shining Line133
Chapter XXXIV. The Last Great Rune138
Biographical Timeline143
Circa l’autore
Lord Dunsany was an immensely prolific Anglo-Irish writer of fantasies, novels, dramas, short stories, and poetry. An Irish aristocrat whose peerage stretched back to medieval times, Lord Dunsany is considered one of the earliest and most significant authors of modern fantasy literature. He has been described as a ‘fantasist’s fantasist’ and his work has strongly influenced a genre that stretches back to the medieval Romances populated by wizards and dragons and reaches forward to the edge of contemporary science fiction.