"This rich feast of essays on storytelling, story-writing and story-tellers will inspire writers and enlighten Pullman fans"
December 2020 YA Book of the Month
Imparting wisdom from across two decades, Philip Pullman’s Dæmon Voices shares a generous banquet of thought-provoking insights into the art of story-telling and Pullman’s personal processes and passions.
As the book’s editor, Simon Mason, writes in his introduction, Pullman is “interested in, above all, human nature, how we live and love and fight and betray and console one another. How we explain ourselves to ourselves,” and this all-encompassing ethos is reflected here, with essays covering everything from the responsibilities of the storyteller, how stories work, and authors’ intentions, to William Blake, Oliver Twist, and writing fantasy realistically. The tone is lively, ablaze with clear-sighted wit, no matter how complex the subject, with many pieces having been delivered at conferences.
One of my personal favourites is “Let’s Write it in Red” which begins with an anecdote about a train journey during which the author witnessed children demonstrating the “two great principles of storytelling”. The first principle is that there are rules - among them stories must begin and have unity, and storytellers mustn’t be afraid of the obvious.
Stories must have a destination too, and storytellers “must design the path so that it leads to the destination most surely, and with the maximum effect.” The second principle relates to form: “if the story is a path, then to follow it you have to ignore quite ruthlessly all the things that tempt you away from it.
Your business as a storyteller is with the path, not the wood.” To these, Pullman adds a third - knowledge. Storytellers should “become more interested in your subject-matter than in the way you appear to others to be dealing with it.” With each of the 32 essays embodying these astute principles, Dæmon Voices is a trove of enlightenment, and entertaining to boot.
Recommended for 16+ readers.
Warm, entertaining, and above all thought-provoking, Dæmon Voices provides a remarkable insight into the mind of one of our greatest writers. He explains which storytellers have meant the most to him, including William Blake and John Milton, why their work has resonated with him, and how it has inspired his own thinking.
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Warm, entertaining, and above all thought-provoking, Dæmon Voices provides a remarkable insight into the mind of one of our greatest writers. He explains which storytellers have meant the most to him, including William Blake and John Milton, why their work has resonated with him, and how it has inspired his own thinking.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Daemon Voices On Stories and Storytelling and determined it is suitable for children aged 15-18 years old
Daemon Voices On Stories and Storytelling features in the following genres: Books of the Month, Recommendations, Grammar, Spelling & Literature, Educational: Language, literature and literacy, Educational material, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Reference Works, Star Books, Featured Books for Young Adults, Gift Books, Children’s / Teenage stationery and miscellaneous items
Paperback, Hardback. £15.29, down from the £16.99 cover price. In Stock.
Daemon Voices On Stories and Storytelling was written by Philip Pullman and published by David Fickling Books
Daemon Voices On Stories and Storytelling has 480 pages
£15.29, reduced from £16.99. In Stock.
