In response to my own posts, Trae submitted a few more of his own. While these authors may not always technically be fantasy as it’s generally understood, they nevertheless have great significance to the genre in both style and substance; some, in my opinion, are absolutely essential to the core foundations of fantasy, both literally and in experiment. Without much further ado, here they are.
MICHAEL ENDE (1929-1995) (title photo by Christine Meile)
Born to a surrealist painter, influenced by Rudolf Steiner’s philosophy of anthropsophy and also skilled in theater direction, Michael Ende’s fame has surpassed his native Germany into 40 other languages, writing, much like MacDonald, not specifically for children but for the childlike in all of us. Among his more famous works are the natively popular Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver (currently unavailable in English) and the surreal time fantasy Momo. But arguably his greatest work, and the one for which he is most remembered, is what may be one of the most unique single novels in the genre – The Neverending Story, a metafictional exploration of the enduring power of stories and, in a sense, the core concepts of fantasy itself, in which a boy discovers a strange book that contains a fantastic world of extraordinary creatures kept alive by the collective imagination of humankind. It was adapted into a very good movie in the 80’s, but it must be noted that it is a loose adaptaion and only contains half (maybe less) the magic of its source material.
Offsite resources:
CHRÉTIEN DE TROYES (unspecified/late 12th century)
Little is known of the life of this French poet, save for a few speculated details (coming from Troyes and serving at the court of Marie of France, Countess of Champagne), but the work he left behind is considered some of the best medieval literature composed as well as important cornerstones in the development of the Matter of Arthur, introducing many characters and concepts that today’s readers may take for granted. There are five chief epics on which the bulk of his reputation rests – Erec and Enide, a story of courtly love; Cligès, which paints an unflattering portrait of adultery in a style parodic of the Tristan and Isolde romances; Yvain, the Knight of the Lion, generally considered his masterpiece, chronicling the heroic exploits of the titular knight-errant; Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart, in which the legendary Knight of the Round Table and his tragic affair with Queen Guenevere is first introduced; and the unfinished Percival, the Story of the Grail, the earliest account of the legend of the all-important Grail, the Fisher King and the virtuous knight whose correct questions can heal the stricken land.
Offsite resources:
Medieval Spell: Chrétien de Troyes’ Influence on Literature and Courtly Love
T. H. WHITE (1906-1964)
Although he wrote other tales of interest such as sci-fi tales like Earth Stopped and Gone to Ground as well as children’s fantasies like Mistress Masham’s Repose and The Elephant and the Kangaroo, T. H. “Tim” White’s greatest contribution to fantasy, if not literature in general, is a 20th century update of the Matter of Arthur which is considered one of the definitive versions of the story – The Once and Future King, a series of four books (The Sword in the Stone, The Queen of Air and Darkness, The Ill-Made Knight, and The Candle in the Wind) with a posthumously published coda (The Book of Merlyn). A work of considerable psychological depth, the series takes the commonly known stories and legends and deconstructs them, meditating on the nature of humanity, the extent of the necessity of war, and the loss of innocence in an increasingly cynical world.
Offsite resources:
“England Have My Bones” – The T. H. White Website
ROSEMARY SUTCLIFF (1920-1992)
While primarily considered an author of children’s fiction, Rosemary Sutcliff’s work has a style and depth of such considerable significance that she has acquired an equally invested adult audience. These works are not technically fantasies, being more historical fiction, but they retain a fantastic quality by exploring the historical context of ancient Celtic and Saxon legends. Her best known work is a series focusing on England in its youth during Roman and Germanic occupations, chronologically arranged by the narrative’s timeline as follows: The Eagle of the Ninth, The Silver Branch, Frontier Wolf, The Lantern Bearers, Sword at Sunset, Dawn Wind, Sword Song and The Shield Ring.
Offsite resources:
Rosemary Sutcliff: An Appreciation
Of the Minstrel Kind – A Tribute by Margaret Meek
Green Man article – synopses and discussions
JOHN WHITE (1924-2002)
A reconnaissance photogropher during WWII, and later a Bible smuggler behind the Iron Curtain for a time, John White was challenged by his children to give them a fantasy in the vein of Lewis’s Narnia. The result was The Archives of Anthropos, which consists of The Sword Bearer, Gaal the Conqueror, The Tower of Geburah, The Iron Sceptre, Quest for the King, and The Dark Lord’s Demise. White has acknowledged the deliberate connection to Lewis, though he insisted that the series took on a life of its own as it went on.
Offsite resources:
ROBERT C. O’BRIEN (1918-1973)
Pen name of Robert Leslie Carroll Conly, arguably the most well-remembered work by this author is Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, in which a mother mouse discovers an enclave of superintelligent rats; most will probably remember the loose but excellent adaptation, Don Bluth’s 1982 animated classic The Secret of NIMH. After his death, his daughter continued the story in two sequels. His other published works are The Silver Crown, in which a young girl finds the titular object and is subsequently harassed by the agents of a sinister machine; A Report from Group 17, a thriller involving resurgent Nazism and biochemical warfare; and Z for Zachariah, a post-apocalyptic story where a teenager on a farm spared from disaster must struggle with a disturbed stranger’s increasing dominance.
Offsite resources:
Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
BRIAN JACQUES (1939-2011)
The reputation of Brian Jacques (pronounced “Jakes”) rests chiefly upon the Redwall series, which follows a band of forest animals in an abbey established as a safe haven and the continuing threat of malicious outsiders; further adventures recount the history of the land and its now-vaunted heroic champions. A total of 22 books in the series has been released (the 22nd being posthumous), and it remains one of the most highly praised children’s fantasies on the market.
Offsite resources:
The Official Brian Jacques Website
The Redwall Encyclopedia – covers everything up to the 16th book, no longer updated
There’s enough for now. Next time, before I go back to some of the authors I’ve already listed in the forum, I’d like to give some attention to other epic poets and writers concerned with the Matter of Arthur.
Remember, the topic of discussion can be found here: http://www.lostpathway.com/tavern/index.php/topic,16.0.html?PHPSESSID=f0kplerkpev5o1st5osjcslc23
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