Lord Dunsany (1878–1957)
Author of The King of Elfland's Daughter
About the Author
Though during his lifetime the Irish nobleman Lord Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, the 18th Baron Dunsany, was perhaps regarded as a minor talent, his somber short fantasies and novels had a significant impact on the development of fantasy and horror fiction. In real life, Dunsany was as show more interesting and versatile as anyone about whom he wrote. He was an African big-game hunter, a soldier in both the Boer War and World War I, and was wounded in the 1916 Irish Easter Rebellion. He was also the national chess champion of Ireland. Dunsany's first short story collection, The Gods of Pegana, was published in 1905 and was soon followed by other fantasy anthologies, including Time and the Gods (1906) and The Sword of Welleran and Other Stories (1908), among others. These stories are distinguished by their elegant, fairy tale settings and Dunsany's unique, macabre sense of humor. Dunsany's novels, such as The King of Elfland's Daughter (1924) and The Charwoman's Shadow (1926), are considered fantasy classics. Although Dunsany wrote prodigiously and with great versatility throughout his life, many regard his early, highly stylized short fiction to be his best work, and his most important. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: Copyright by Morrall-Hoole Studios, 1919
(LoC Prints and Photographs Division,
LC-USZ62-103850)
(retouched to remove writing)
(LoC Prints and Photographs Division,
LC-USZ62-103850)
(retouched to remove writing)
Series
Works by Lord Dunsany
The Collected Jorkens, Vol. 1: The Travel Tales of Mr. Joseph Jorkens and Jorkens Remembers Africa (2005) 79 copies
The Collected Jorkens, Vol. 2: Jorkens Has a Large Whiskey and The Fourth Book of Jorkens (2004) 66 copies
The Collected Jorkens, Vol. 3: Jorkens Borrows Another Whiskey, The Last Book of Jorkens, Uncollected Tales (2005) 62 copies
Lost Tales, Volume V: 1914-1953 5 copies
Lost Tales, Volume I: 1909-1915 5 copies
The Distressing Tale of Thangobrind the Jeweller, and of the Doom That Befell Him [short story] (1911) 4 copies
Lost Tales Vol. VI: 1909-1954 3 copies
Lost Tales, Volume IV 3 copies
Lost Tales, Volume III: 1910-1954 3 copies
Ireland: A Book of Photographs with an Introduction — Introduction — 3 copies
Wandering songs 2 copies
Modern Short Plays Second Series — Contributor — 2 copies
Worlds of Fantasy & Horror Volume 1 Number 3, Summer 1996 (Weird Tales No. 311) (1996) — Contributor — 2 copies
The Mist [short story] 1 copy
The Quest [poem] 1 copy
Other Stories 1 copy
Dunsany Mythos 1905-1906 1 copy
While the sirens sleep 1 copy
The Char Woman's Shadow 1 copy
The Book of Jorkens 1 copy
ダンセイニ卿少年少女作品集成 1 copy
ダンセイニ卿書評集 愛蘭貴族がいざなう読書の旅 1 copy
芸術論 1 copy
Essays in the Arts 1 copy
Romance [short story] 1 copy
Donnellan lectures 1943 1 copy
"The Watch-Tower" 1 copy
Ireland L'Irlande Irland 1 copy
The Men of Baldfolk 1 copy
Le Vent du Nord 1 copy
Edition) 1 copy
Lost Tales: Volume II 1 copy
High Happy Haunts 1 copy
The Lord Dunsany’s Collected Works: The Gods of Pegana,Time and the Gods, A Dreamer's Tales, Fifty-one… (2016) 1 copy
Lord Dunsany Super Pack: The Gods of Pegana; Time and the Gods; The Sword of Welleran and Other Stories; A Dreamers… (2015) 1 copy
King of Dreams 1 copy
Of the Calamity that Befel Yūn-Ilāra by the Sea, and of the Building of the Tower of the Ending of Days [short story] (1905) 1 copy
Associated Works
Spells of Enchantment: The Wondrous Fairy Tales of Western Culture (1991) — Contributor — 570 copies
Murder on the Menu: Cordon Bleu Stories of Crime and Mystery, Volume 1 (1984) — Contributor — 196 copies
Great Weird Tales: 14 Stories by Lovecraft, Blackwood, Machen and Others (2011) — Contributor — 58 copies
From Isles of Dream: Visionary Stories and Poems of the Celtic Renaissance (1993) — Contributor — 41 copies
The Mystery Hall of Fame: An Anthology of Classic Mystery and Suspense Stories (1984) — Contributor — 32 copies
The Ghost of Fear and Others: H. P. Lovecraft's Favorite Horror Stories Vol. 1 (2012) — Contributor — 26 copies
My Talks with Dean Spanley [2008 film] — Original book — 18 copies
Swords and Sorcerers: Stories from the Worlds of Fantasy and Adventure (2002) — Contributor — 16 copies
20 Masterpieces of Fantasy Fiction Vol. 1: Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Tarzan of the… (2019) — Contributor — 8 copies
Voor en na middernacht : vierendertig beroemde spook- en griezelverhalen (1949) — Contributor — 7 copies
Flora Curiosa: Cryptobotany, Mysterious Fungi, Sentient Trees, and Deadly Plants in Classic Science Fiction and Fantasy (2008) — Contributor — 6 copies
Detektivhistorier fra Sherlock Holmes til Hercule Poirot — Contributor — 3 copies
Spøgelseshistorier fra hele verden — Contributor, some editions — 3 copies
Modern Short Stories — Contributor — 3 copies
Anthropologica Incognita: Wild Men, Strange Apes, and Fantastic Races in Classic Science Fiction and Fantasy (2009) — Contributor — 2 copies
Nye detektivhistorier fra hele verden — Author, some editions — 2 copies
小説幻妖 壱 (1) 新春 妖女コレクシオン — Contributor — 1 copy
幻想文学 (34) 特集 ケルト幻想文学誌 妖精の幸ふ古代へ — Contributor — 1 copy
PEGANA LOST vol.14 — Contributor — 1 copy
大うそつきトニイ・カイトの恋、他一篇 — Author — 1 copy
火の後に: 片山廣子翻訳集成 — Contributor — 1 copy
幻想と怪奇 1973年 04月号 (第1巻第1号) 魔女特集 — Contributor — 1 copy
希望の友 1973年11月号 — Contributor — 1 copy
Stories for girls — Contributor — 1 copy
SFファンタジイ大全集 (別冊奇想天外 10) — Contributor — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Lord Dunsany
- Legal name
- Lord Dunsany, Edward John Moreton Drax
- Other names
- Dunsany, Baron
Plunkett, Edward John Moreton Drax, 18th Baron Dunsany - Birthdate
- 1878-07-24
- Date of death
- 1957-10-25
- Burial location
- St Peter and St Paul Churchyard, Shoreham, Kent, England, UK
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- Ireland
UK - Country (for map)
- Ireland
- Birthplace
- London, England, UK
- Place of death
- Dublin, Ireland
- Cause of death
- appendicitis
- Places of residence
- Dunsany Castle, County Meath, Ireland
Dublin, Ireland
Dunstall Priory, Shoreham, Kent, England, UK - Education
- Eton College
Cheam School
Royal Military College, Sandhurst - Occupations
- peer
sportsman
hunter
chess player
novelist
dramatist (show all 10)
autobiographer
essayist
short-story writer
military officer - Relationships
- Ledwidge, Francis (army comrade and protege)
Plunkett, Horace (uncle)
Longford, Frank Pakenham (nephew by marriage)
Powell, Lady Violet (niece by marriage)
Pakenham, Edward (nephew by marriage) - Organizations
- Coldstream Guards, British Army
House of Lords
Authors' Society
Shakespeare Reading Society
University of Athens - Awards and honors
- Fellow, Royal Geographical Society
Fellow, Royal Society of Literature
Fellow, British Academy
Fellow, Irish Academy of Letters
Honorary member, Institut Historique et Heraldique de France
Harmsworth Literary Award - Agent
- Curtis Brown
- Short biography
- Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, 18th Baron Dunsany (1878-1957); Anglo-Irish writer and dramatist, notable for his work in fantasy published under the name Lord Dunsany
Members
Discussions
The King of Elfland’s Daughter LE in Folio Society Devotees (April 30)
THE DEEP ONES: "The Distressing Tale of Thangobrind the Jeweller" by Lord Dunsany in The Weird Tradition (January 11)
THE DEEP ONES: "The House of the Sphinx" by Lord Dunsany in The Weird Tradition (January 3)
THE DEEP ONES: "The Death of Pan" and "The Tomb of Pan" by Lord Dunsany in The Weird Tradition (May 2023)
THE DEEP ONES: "Bethmoora" by Lord Dunsany in The Weird Tradition (August 2022)
THE DEEP ONES: "The Probable Adventure of the Three Literary Men" by Lord Dunsany in The Weird Tradition (February 2016)
THE DEEP ONES: "King Argimenes and the Unknown Warrior" by Lord Dunsany in The Weird Tradition (April 2013)
THE DEEP ONES: "The Fortress Unvanquishable, Save for Sacnoth" by Lord Dunsany in The Weird Tradition (February 2013)
THE DEEP ONES: "The Sword of Welleran" by Lord Dunsany in The Weird Tradition (March 2012)
THE DEEP ONES: "The Hashish Man" by Lord Dunsany in The Weird Tradition (February 2012)
Reviews
The Blessing of Pan by Lord Dunsany
I found it most interesting that, in the end, the vicar can only appeal to a sense of community rather than to the idea that his religion conforms to a metaphysical truth.
Cute premise and fairly suavely executed by Dunsany but one of the all time worst cop-out endings. I love dogs. Why are dog books always so disappointing?
The movie version with Sam Neil and Peter O’Toole in his last role is great, by the way.
The movie version with Sam Neil and Peter O’Toole in his last role is great, by the way.
Time and the Gods: 3
The Sword of Welleran: 3.5
A Dreamer's Tales:3.5
The Book of Wonder: 3.5
Tales of Wonder: 3.5
The Gods of Pegana: 3
The Sword of Welleran: 3.5
A Dreamer's Tales:3.5
The Book of Wonder: 3.5
Tales of Wonder: 3.5
The Gods of Pegana: 3
From the Department of Unpopular Opinions:
This is a beautifully-written tale of not being satisfied with what one has, but always longing for that other. It would have been a perfect short story of perhaps 50 pages. As even a very short novel, it’s just too long.
But the dreamy, emotional setting is the strongest part of the book, and will keep lovers of fantasy and/or nature writing interested. Not much characterization and not much plot, either, except for a few set pieces of exciting action. It’s written in a sort of biblical/ Norse saga style that is initially comforting but becomes a drag after a while.
But do try it. You may love it far more than I did.… (more)
This is a beautifully-written tale of not being satisfied with what one has, but always longing for that other. It would have been a perfect short story of perhaps 50 pages. As even a very short novel, it’s just too long.
But the dreamy, emotional setting is the strongest part of the book, and will keep lovers of fantasy and/or nature writing interested. Not much characterization and not much plot, either, except for a few set pieces of exciting action. It’s written in a sort of biblical/ Norse saga style that is initially comforting but becomes a drag after a while.
But do try it. You may love it far more than I did.… (more)
Lists
Awards
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 369
- Also by
- 175
- Members
- 8,989
- Popularity
- #2,672
- Rating
- 3.8
- Reviews
- 145
- ISBNs
- 656
- Languages
- 15
- Favorited
- 72
