Daemon Voices: On Stories and Storytelling

(Paperback)

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Description

Warm, funny, generous, entertaining and, above all, deeply considered, they offer thoughts on a wide variety of topics, including the origin and composition of Philip's own stories, the craft of writing and the story-tellers who have meant the most to Philip.

The art of story-telling is everywhere present in the essays themselves, in the instantly engaging tone, the vivid imagery and striking phrases, the resonant anecdotes, the humour and learnedness. Together, they are greater than the sum of their parts: a single, sustained engagement with story and story-telling.

Reviews

Pullman is eloquent on the craft and power of storytelling * Observer *
As if I'm sneaking into a year of lectures and classes with one of the masters of this art . . . Pullman shares advice, secrets, thoughts in such a down-to-earth, friendly manner, it almost makes me want to weep * Guardian Best Books of 2017 *
Luminously written * The Times Literary Supplement *
A gold mine . . . So much richness is to be found in this collection . . . Humane, wise and immensely readable, Daemon Voices is a fascinating tour of Pullman's teeming imagination and an inestimable illumination of the writing life * Financial Times *
[Pullman's] reflections on how to nourish the imagination of children in an age of screens are excellent * Spectator *
Daemon Voices casts an entrancing spell . . . To read [these essays] is to be invigorated by the company of a joyfully wide-ranging, endlessly curious and imaginative mind * New York Times *
A compelling, convincing, eminently readable treatise on the importance of imagination and telling tales, Daemon Voices is a powerful insight into the mind of the greatest storyteller of our time * Kiran Millwood Hargrave *
Pullman is as fine a thinker as he is a storyteller . . . abundant wisdom, provocative notions, and illuminating insights * Kirkus starred review (US) *
This very impressive collection of essays, lectures and reviews . . . distils the thoughts on storytelling of one of our great storytellers * Children's Books History Society *

Author Bio

"I started writing as soon as I could hold a pencil. I loved the feeling of making marks on a piece of paper, but it wasn't until some time later that I learned to connect that pleasure with a quite different pleasure, that of being absorbed in a story. Because I loved stories too - every kind of story, from fairy tales to Superman, from school stories to horror stories. As a matter of fact I still do.

What I like about being published by DFB is that David Fickling loves stories too. He first published a book of mine in 1985, and we're both still going, and that book is still in print; so that must say something for my luck. The DFB list is so varied and so full of good stories that I feel very privileged to be part of it.
Actually, I feel lucky just to be doing what I do every day. If I were to go back fifty years, or more, and ask the little boy I used to be what he most wanted to do when he grew up, I think he'd say "Write stories!" In fact, I know he would. So he started, and he never stopped. There'll be more coming soon..."