George MacDonald
A few words about our beloved Author and Poet
George MacDonald
George MacDonald (1824-1905) was a Scottish preacher, poet, novelist, fantasist, expositor, and public figure who was most well known for his children’s books-At the Back of the North Wind, The Princess and the Goblin, The Princess and Curdie, and fantasies-Lilith and Phantastes.
His fame is based on far more than his fantasies. His lifetime output of more than fifty popular books placed him in the same literary realm as Charles Dickens, William Thackery and Thomas Carlyle. He numbered among his friends and acquaintances Lewis Carroll, Mark Twain, Lady Byron and John Ruskin.
Among his later admirers were G.K. Chesterton, W. H. Auden, and C.S. Lewis. MacDonald’s fantasy Phantastes was a turning point in Lewis’ conversion; Lewis acknowledged MacDonald as his spiritual master and declared that he had never written a book without quoting from MacDonald.
Although in MacDonald’s time he was one of Britain’s top-selling and most respected authors, in the twentieth century his books eventually became harder and harder to find until the only MacDonald books in print were a few of his books for children. After decades of being overlooked, MacDonald is once again a literary and spiritual influence in the lives of thousands of people. We hope our publications renew his life changing words to another generation and century.
Andy and Deborah Johannesen