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Science Fiction & Fantasy |
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The Wand in the Word: Conversations with Writers of Fantasy
Studio : Candlewick
by Candlewick
Release Date : 2006-02-14
Publisher : Candlewick
Released : 2006-02-14
Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Number of Items : 1
EAN : 9780763626259
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 6 reviews)
List Price : $19.99
Our Price : $0.99
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Product Description |
In a series of incisive interviews, Leonard S. Marcus engages thirteen master storytellers in spirited conversation about their life and work, providing inspiring reading for fantasy fans and future writers alike.
What kind of child were you? When did you decide you wanted to be a writer? Why do you write fantasy?
"Fantasy," writes Leonard S. Marcus, "is storytelling with the beguiling power to transform the impossible into the imaginable and to reveal our own ‘real' world in a fresh and truth-bearing light." Few have harnessed this power with the artistry, verve, and imagination of the authors encountered in this compelling book. How do they work their magic?
Finely nuanced and continually revealing, Leonard S. Marcus's interviews range widely over questions of literary craft and moral vision, as he asks thirteen noted fantasy authors about their pivotal life experiences, their literary influences and work routines, and their core beliefs about the place of fantasy in literature and in our lives. |
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Good addition to a collection |
The Wand in the Word is a wonderful compilation of interviews with some of the major voices in fantasy literature today. Leonard Marcus begins his introduction by telling us that fantasy writers have not enjoyed the spotlight until recently. This is surprising because fantasy has been in existence for a very long time, not the least of which was Alice's Adventures in Wonderland published in 1865. It is only in more recent years that the Fantasy genre has enjoyed greater popularity and acceptance. Marcus has provided a high interest book that will capture the attention of readers with his one on one interviews with Nancy Farmer, Brian Jacques and Diana Wynne Jones to name a few. Marcus himself conducted all of the interviews included in the book, either in person or over the phone. He includes some access features such as a table of contents, index and most importantly a bibliography for each author he interviews. Of special interest are the pictures of the authors and often a picture of a manuscript page from the author with editing marks and corrections. This allows the reader to see into the author's real life and work process.
Marcus begins each section with a short profile of the author he will be interviewing. This is especially helpful because you may not be familiar with the author, their work or details about them. From this he progresses into the interview. Each interview begins with the question, "What kind of child were you?" From this answer he builds upon their experiences to show how it may have influenced their writing, opinions and ideas. He also asks many of the authors if they took advantage of the public library or if they had other readers or writers in their lives. This is an important way to show our younger readers how to be open to new experiences and that reading and writing can go hand in hand. He also uses the questions he asks about how the author works to illustrate that writing is a full time job, not just something that these people play at doing.
The interesting thing about all of the writers included is that they all describe themselves as a type of dreamer. It doesn't matter the type of child that they were, they all dreamed and used these as some means of escape. Good writers can accomplish this feat and all almost without the reader being aware of what has happened until they surface from the book. The authors profiled in this book strive to do just that and based on the popularity of their books, they have succeeded quite well. The Wand in the Word would be a good addition to any library as a resource for author information, to do an author feature or just to illustrate to readers where their favorite books come from.
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Great read for all ages |
In THE WAND IN THE WORD, Leonard Marcus, a respected children's book historian, biographer and critic, has compiled a series of interviews with thirteen well-known fantasy writers, ranging from old favorites, Madeleine L'Engle and Ursula Le Guin, to more recent authors, such as Franny Billingsley and Garth Nix. Marcus' interviews capture what fantasy means to each author, as well as important life and work experiences, writing routines, and how book and character ideas develop. The basic interviews follow the same pattern, beginning with the question, "What kind of kid were you?" and concluding with "What is the best part of being a writer?"; however, questions in between vary and often deal with specific themes, works, or experiences of the interviewee that reflect their individuality. As Marcus mentions in his introduction, "a good interview, like any good conversation, is exploratory in nature, with much of the fun and satisfaction stemming from not knowing just where the talk will take you" (page3), and it is this quality which makes The Wand in the Word an enjoyable reading experience for the average person as well as the die-hard fantasy fan.
By following the same format for each interview, Marcus allows readers to discover that in order to be a writer, a person must read a lot, write frequently and about topics that interest them, and, most importantly, persevere! There is nothing other-worldly about these successful writers. Each is dedicated to writing and enjoys the fact that "while fame may be fleeting. . . writing is always there" (Jacques page 74). THE WAND IN THE WORD is easy to read, insightful, and entertaining, providing a glimpse in to the lives and minds of well-known fantasy writers. This book can be used as a springboard to learn more about these authors, to investigate other writers of interest, and to discover and practice various writing strategies. The one weakness is that not enough authors are included! Perhaps, Leonard Marcus will treat readers to additional interviews soon. In the meantime, readers can take the advice presented in the book and read, read, read.
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HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! |
If you are a reader of fantasy, an aspiring writer, or simply an avid book-lover, don't miss this book! The Wand in the Word gives you insights on 13 different authors and their lives and work routines, including Brian Jacques, Diana Wynne Jones, Susan Cooper and Lloyd Alexander. The authors tell how World War II, reading The Lord of the Rings for the first time, or listening to their grandparents tell stories affected the different authors and their careers in different ways. One of my favorite quotes from the book comes from the interview with Brian Jacques:
"I love it [writing] that as a writer you work with the poetry and music of words. Words are as wild as rocky peaks. They're as smooth as a millpond and as sunny as a day in a meadow. Words are beautiful things. Every word matters."
The Wand in the Word is a must for everyone's library. Highly recommended! (And I absolutely love the title . . . perfect for a book about writers of fantasy.) |
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A fascinating and inspiring look at fantasy authors |
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This is one of the most interesting and inspirational books that I've read in a long time. Through the interviews and profiles, Marcus' masterfully brings out the best in each author, providing a fascinating look at some of the leading authors in the fantasy genre. Find out how Lloyd Alexander's experiences in the military during World War II influenced his writing, or how Diana Wynne Jones kept Tolkein from finishing The Lord of the Rings! It's inspiring to read about how authors are regular people who faced the same kinds of problems in childhood as everyone else: problems in school, problems with parents, problems with other kids. One even had dyslexia. Taken together it presents a powerful and inspirational message that anyone can be a writer, that anyone can overcome their personal obstacles to achieve their dreams. Each author also gives advice for young, aspiring writers. Highly recommended for fantasy fans, aspiring writers, or anyone who just needs a bit of inspiration. |
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They tell us that dragons can be beaten |
I was into Leonard S. Marcus before it was cool. Really! Okay, fine. I wasn't. In fact, until I read his collection of the letters of Ursula Nordstrom ("Dear Genius") and heard about his Margaret Wise Brown bio ("Margaret Wise Brown: Awakened By the Moon") I didn't know just what a great editor and writer he could be. But now that he's come out with "The Wand In the Word: Conversations With Writers of Fantasy", I have a feeling his star is going to rise pretty high. Anyone could write a book with an interview by Jane Yolen. You might even be able to squeeze out some interest if you included a talk with Garth Nix. But a glance at the people included in this book and it begins to get a little silly. Lloyd Alexander? He's still alive? And Nancy Farmer? How did he get her? Susan Cooper!! Omigod I LOVE Susan Cooper! There are only thirteen fantasy writers contained in this volume, but with the notable exception of J.K. Rowling, they are undoubtedly the greatest living fantasy writers working today.
Most of the interviews were done in-person or over the phone. Two were done via e-mail as well. It's a testament to Marcus's skills (and the verbal gymnastics of his subjects) that the casual reader is unable to distinguish between the live and written. In fact, the eloquence of each of these fantasy writers is the most startling similarity they have between one another. The interviews are presented in alphabetical order with Lloyd Alexander first and Jane Yolen last. In between, Marcus includes photographs of each author's early drafts, pictures of them as children, and the occasional shot of what their workspace looks like. Who knew they even made Terry Pratchett figurines? Marcus asks a sets number of questions of each author. What did they read as children? How did World War II affect them? What becomes clear as you read through the book is that the greatest influence this crew ever had was Tolkien. In fact, they have very different opinions on the man. Susan Cooper found his lectures "wonderful" whereas Diana Wynne Jones (who you come to trust in this matter) found them "absolutely appalling". Philip Pullman even had dinner with him, though again the great man does not come across as particularly appealing. Each author mentions what they advise up and coming writers, who their inspirations have been, and what their lives were like. All in all, it makes for a truly stunning series of interviews.
Being the twisted soul that I am, I was most interested in the authors that were prone to saying particularly odd things. If I got to sit down and have dinner with four fantasy authors based solely on their interviews, I think my choices would have to be Nancy Farmer, Diana Wynne Jones, Brian Jacques (a surprise for me), and Terry Pratchett. Perhaps Philip Pullman too, but we'd have to keep the conversation well away from touching on C.S. Lewis. After a while you do feel like quizzing your other fantasy loving friends. "Did you know that Nancy Farmer worked in the lab of a mad scientist, "felt like a fruit fly pimp", and was a holy terror in school? Did you know that "A Wrinkle In Time" was turned down twenty-six times by different publishers? Or that Tamora Pierce has "twenty-two baby name books, plus three URLs for baby name databases, plus a CD-ROM"? It's all true. It's all here.
I suspect that some well-meaning kids will complain about the people not included in this book. Where's Cornelia Funke? Or Christopher Paolini? I, personally, was very very happy at these exclusions. Obviously I would have liked Rowling to have been included but what could she say that she hasn't already mentioned in the roughly five billions interviews she's done worldwide? Less explicable is the fact that Anne McCaffrey isn't mentioned. A quick check of a "Dead Or Alive" website confirms her status of "Alive", so what gives? And what about Robin McKinley? That said, the list Marcus has already come up with is pretty close to perfect. You could argue that Billingsley hasn't done enough to gain a spot with this crew (and Yolen, perhaps, too much) but that's neither here nor there.
Sometimes when I finish a particularly good book (for example, "Fly By Night" by Frances Hardinge), I feel depressed. Like so many other people out there, I'd like to be a writer but I get intimidated by really really good authors already in existence. "The Wand In the Word" had the opposite effect on me. These are the best authors of their field and their advice and enthusiasm is easy to catch. I dare say budding fantasy novelists everywhere will be able to take a page out of Marcus's newest book and create their own entirely new little worlds. It's a wonderful collection and a necessary purchase for anyone who considers themselves a serious fantasy fan. |
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