That would not happen until a dozen years after his death, with the publication of the Lin Carter edited Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series, or BAFS (1969-74). There was no established body of fantastic literature in Dunsany’s era, certainly no recognizable publisher-defined genre. Coupled with his one-of-a-kind elevated writing style, Dunsany’s early fantasy material feels ethereal and wondrous, as fresh as when it was written more than 100 years ago. But crucially, not a body of fantasy literature. He was sui generis, writing in an age where there was no fantasy genre as we know it today.ĭunsany was influenced by the bible and Greek mythology, old fairy tales, and to a lesser degree by a few peers including Rudyard Kipling and William Morris. None before or since have done it quite like the man known as Lord Dunsany. When Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany (July 1878-October 1957) set pen to paper, he was wrestling tigers and dragons from the air and committing them to paper.
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