1 of 1 copy available
One of the most highly acclaimed and best-selling authors of our time now gives us a book that charts the history of his own enchantment with story—from his own books to those of Blake, Milton, Dickens, and the Brothers Grimm, among others—and delves into the role of story in education, religion, and science. At once personal and wide-ranging, Daemon Voices is both a revelation of the writing mind and the methods of a great contemporary master, and a fascinating exploration of storytelling itself.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
September 18, 2018 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780525643319
- File size: 371224 KB
- Duration: 12:53:22
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Sounding erudite and professorial, author Philip Pullman delivers this collection of his nonfiction writings. The tone is apt, as many of these speeches and essays were originally given as lectures at universities or published as introductions to new editions of classic works. Topics range from his own writing process, such as for the His Dark Materials series, to the importance of fairy tales and his thoughts on religion and spirituality. Pullman's interests are clearly wide ranging, and his enthusiasm for, say, the charms of the illustrations in classics like Arthur Ransome's SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS and Tove Jansson's Moomins books invites listeners to want to learn more. It's a worthwhile listen for insights into the mind of the writer. J.M.D. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine -
May 28, 2018
This collection of 32 talks, published articles, and prefaces written between 1997 and 2014 by children’s writer Pullman (La Belle Sauvage) addresses “the business of the storyteller” with the quiet confidence of a master craftsmen sharing the tricks of his trade. Though Pullman claims no authority beyond knowing “what it feels like to write a story,” the essays delineate and defend the real work of fiction to nourish imagination, shape moral understanding, and, above all, delight. The book progresses from how stories work—“the aim must always be clarity”—to why they matter, along the way peeking into Pullman’s inspirations (notably including William Blake, Robert Burton, John Milton, and the Grimm brothers), pet peeves (“I shall say no more about our current educational system”), and process. Democratic in his philosophy, materialist in his beliefs (“this world is where the things are that matter”), and with a droll humor that occasionally approaches whimsy, Pullman employs a confiding, ruminative tone, a sharply analytical eye, and a vocabulary free of pedantry or cant to insist on the central value of a sense of wonder. The book is a toolbox stacked with generous, sensible advice for writers and thinkers who agree with Pullman that stories “are not luxuries; they’re essential to our wellbeing.”
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