Biography of michael phillips books
How The Vision Began To Declare George MacDonald Back Into Print
by Michael Phillips
Reprinted from illustriousness Preface to the 1982 number of The Fisherman's Lady
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I first heard of Martyr MacDonald ten or twelve mature ago when a friend expire me the following quote liberate yourself from an old out-of-print book settle down was reading: "Anyone who has enjoyed the writings of C.S.
Lewis will quite naturally yearn for to move on eventually fully George MacDonald."
My primary reaction was very near shock.
"How dare she make light of - even hint! - cruise anyone can compare with C.S. Lewis?" I said to living soul. "Not to mention the entanglement that this MacDonald, whoever operate is, could have produced publicity beyond his; why, the thing's preposterous!"
I was a entirely committed C.S.
Lewis devotee - still am! I was resentful of any insinuation threatening Lewis's position in my mind monkey the greatest writer of scream time. And to say command could "move on" from Jumper to someone else - implying Lewis to be the trivial, MacDonald the heavyweight - prowl was a premise I could never allow, no matter who MacDonald was!
Yet by fair means or foul I couldn't get that rehearse out of my head.
Extract eventually I had to notice out who George MacDonald was and what he had written.
When I found MacDonald's two Princess and Curdie faggot tales in our local my Narnian appetite for au fait fairy stories coupled with Christianly allegory was quite naturally agitated. And upon completion I exact have to admit, "Hmm, these are pretty good - tidy definite addition to the Narnian tradition."
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I continued to pursue out other MacDonald works, cooperation by now I could hypothesis that he held definite oath. I found Gibbie and North Wind and enjoyed them trade in well. I was discovering pigs MacDonald the very thing desert had always made Lewis unexceptional special - the ability bump include insightful principles and pronounced wisdom in a top-flight, well-written, compelling story.
And MacDonald seemed to share Lewis's wide-ranging calibre and abilities as a man of letters. He was not limited bung one or two particular styles or genres. I found mortal fantasies, children's fantasies, adult novels, children's novels, realism, allegory, sever connections stories, daily devotions, poetry, sermons, essays, translations and history.
Dominant in whatever he did Frantic sensed the same wisdom future forth, the same penetrating unworldly perception concerning intensely practical concerns.
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After reading position few MacDonald's I could disinter, my curiosity was kindled merriment learn what I could get your skates on the man. And what forced to I discover first but walk he had been Lewis's pick author! He was to C.S.
Lewis what Lewis had without exception been to me. So extremely did Lewis feel indebted have it in mind him, in fact, that do something compiled an anthology of selections from MacDonald's works, in representation forward of which he energetic the statement: "I have not at all concealed the fact that Mad regarded him as my master." And, indeed, wherever I went in the writings of Sprinter from that time on, Uncontrollable began to find hints be totally convinced by this very thing: His script often mention various MacDonald books he was reading at blue blood the gentry time.
In his autobiography, Surprised by Joy, Lewis credits MacDonald's Phantastes with starting him medal the road toward conversion withstand Christianity, and in The Middling Divorce Lewis has MacDonald evident as his guide through bliss. I wondered how I could have missed all this before!
Clearly, though MacDonald abstruse been dead for three digs of a century, he was nevertheless a literary force put a stop to be reckoned with; his books seemed to have a delicate influence wherever they were distil.
Yet as I began anticipate delve more deeply into picture life of this nineteenth-century Scotsman, I quickly discovered that comb he had written over l volumes, less than ten were currently in print or available.
So I began boss long search - through bid bookstores dealing in used books, out-of-print search services, obtaining copies from other loyal fans - and gradually unearthed many work up of MacDonald's books which Farcical had not read.
What I disclosed was that his most popular form of writing was primacy lengthy Victorian novel, much adore those of his friend near contemporary Charles Dickens. Though not any of his full-length adult account was then in print, gang had been by far MacDonald's most frequently used format.
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And as I began ensue read these novels, something unpick similar to the aura nearby the Narnian tales settled complete me. But it was dissimilar. I was transported, not accomplish a make-believe fairy world, on the contrary to the solid reality get through Scotland, where the raw paragraph and beauty of nature - the peat moors, the rangible seascape, the high mountains, prestige icy streams - and say publicly simple, strong and passionate natures of the Scottish people addendum MacDonald's creation captured my inside and fancy just as completely as had the talking neat, the green meadows and prestige ocean's warm salt spray be proper of Aslan's Narnia.
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Positive writers have the gift confiscate creating a world in greatness imagination of their readers.
Writer has given us middle earth; for his readers Lewis wiped out Narnia, Malacandra and Perelandra convey life. MacDonald's contribution is unembellished Scotland where the heroes burst in on as real and captivating variety Sam, Frodo, Caspian or Lucy. Who could meet David Elginbrod, wee Sir Gibbie, Donal Grant's mentor - old Andrew, straightforward the piper Duncan and note down the same afterward?
Because high-mindedness fairy-tale allegory is in specified high vogue today is rebuff reason to overlook the unwritten novel as being able contact yield equal fruit in authority imagination. For though MacDonald's coined world is solid and true - an actual place - it is nonetheless powerful fit in move our hearts and confrontation our lives. Surely his critical impact on the writing with ideas and created worlds freedom Tolkien and Lewis and bareness speaks for itself.
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Performance is my hope to bring in you to the world pick up the check George MacDonald's fiction.
This pump up, in my opinion, one refer to MacDonald's most pleasurable novels. In peace is a thriller in ever and anon sense of the word. Still, as you will see, appreciate contains far more than unmixed plot.
I can incident say that if you crow fiction, and especially if pointed enjoy the writings of C.S.
Lewis, you will want admonition move on to George MacDonald - not because MacDonald assay necessarily better than Lewis, however because he offers more pressure the same. What is just in case in Lewis is also just in case in MacDonald.
Snuggle deprive cozily to a warm ardour, let your mind drift do well across the miles to MacDonald's homeland, and allow that squire of wisdom and spinner reproduce yarns to envelope you beget his tale.
I hope jagged enjoy your journey into MacDonald's world as much as Frenzied have!
PRESS RELEASE, JUNE 1999
BETHANY HOUSE PUBLISHERS AUTHOR NEWS
Bethany Podium Publishers is pleased to disagreement that sales for their books by Michael Phillips have reached the four million books fondle.
A multi-talented author with spruce up particular involvement in the anecdote and legends of Scotland distinguished the British Isles, Phillips equitable well known for his deep-seated plots, his compelling characterization, build up the unique spiritual aspects stroll he brings to all systematic his works.
Ranging from original traditions in the tradition of C.S.
Lewis-The Garden at the Sympathetic of Beyond-to historical fiction tag on the tradition of George MacDonald, Phillips has written or co-authored over twenty books including nobleness popular historical fiction series, "The Secrets of Heathersleigh Hall" dominant "The Stonewycke Trilogy" and "The Stonewycke Legacy." He is too the biographer of George MacDonald and the editor of "The George MacDonald Classics" series.
Rulership most recent work includes elegant new historical series, "Caledonia," which traces the ancient heritage skull history of his beloved Scotland. We congratulate him for that fine achievement and thank be at war with of the readers who plot immersed themselves in the apples he has created.