Lord Dunsany: The King of Elfland's Daughter

Lord Dunsany was an Irish poet and an author, who wrote short stories, plays and few novels. He made the most lasting impression in the field of fantasy literature, where he was a major fore-runner. Several later authors sing praises and acknowledge debt to Dunsany: H.P. Lovecraft, Ursula Le Guin, Neil Gaiman, Michael Moorcock, David Eddings, Peter Beagle... J.R.R. Tolkien was fond of Dunsany's work as well, so it's fair to say fantasy literature wouldn't be what it is without Dunsany.

Lord Dunsany's most important novel was The King of Elfland's Daughter, published in 1924. I was glad to be able to read a Finnish translation, published by a friend of mine. His small publishing house is dedicated to producing translations of fantasy classics that have so far been unavailable in Finnish. He has already published Leiber's Lankhmar stories, Zelazny's Nine Princes of Amber, Matheson's I Am Legend... He's doing a wonderful service to the Finnish fantasy fandom.

The King of Elfland's Daughter is not just an interesting literature curiosity. It's a beautiful, tragic tale of what happens when ordinary people wish to have some magic in their lives. The people of Erl want a ruler with magic powers, so that the valley of Erl would be famous. The lord of Erl sends his son Alveric to marry the legendary Lizarel, the daughter of the Elven King.

It's not a "then they lived happily everafter story" - Alveric goes and gets Lizarel, that's not a big deal. That's where the complications begin... The story is wonderful, a proper fairy tale for adults. It's full of imagination and style. Dunsany writes in a flowery, archaic style, which is beautifully captured in the Finnish translation. The King of Elfland's Daughter is a book worth reading, for it's historical significance and it's literary value. (Review based on the Finnish translation.) [ The King of Elfland's Daughter at Amazon.co.uk ] [ The King of Elfland's Daughter in LibraryThing ]