Dark Tales from the Woods - Hardcover

Morden, Daniel

3.91

88 ratings by Goodreads

9781843235835: Dark Tales from the Woods

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1843235838 ISBN 13: 9781843235835

Publisher: Casemate Publishers, 2006

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A vivid retelling of seven gypsy tales rich with the mystery and magic of the Welsh landscape where heroes and heroines follow their dreams.

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About the Author:

Only a few people can say that they earn their living telling stories, but since 1989 Daniel Morden has travelled the world as a professional storyteller visiting arts centers, theaters, libraries, museums and festivals worldwide. He has told Welsh tales in St Donat's and at St David's, from the Arctic to the Pacific to the Caribbean. Daniel says "When I was young, children could walk to school by themselves. Every day as I walked I would make up a story, about myself, or Spiderman, or the Viking God Thor, or some strange character I had invented. When I reached school, if I hadn't finished the story I would walk around the playground, muttering it under my breath. I had to know how the story ended, even though I was making it up." His first book, Weird Tales from the Storyteller, was published by Pont Books in November 2003 and was subsequently nominated for the Tir na N-Og Children's Book Prize. Delighted with his first publication , he said "I wanted to write the kind of book I would have loved to read when I was young. I loved books where I was laughing and shuddering by turns." He is one of the UK's most popular tellers of traditional stories, with a repertoire that ranges from The Iliad and The Odyssey performed with Hugh Lupton to his work for families fusing music and story with Oliver Wilson-Dickson. Daniel Morden and Hugh Lupton were awarded the 2006 Classical Association prize for "the most significant contribution to the public understanding of the classics." Daniel has conceived and presented numerous documentaries on storytelling for BBC Radio Wales. In 2007 he won the Tir na n-Og Award for Dark Tales from the Woods. His latest publication is Tree of Leaf and Flame.

Review:

These seven tales are taken from those told by the gypsy storyteller, Abram Wood, coloured with some ideas from the Brothers Grimm and other writers, and rewritten in accessible language and style by the modern storyteller Daniel Morden. The stories tell of heroes and heroines following their dreams and making them come true, usually by overcoming huge and dangerous obstacles, often in the form of powerful and cruel people or enchantments. They are stories to scare and enthral the readers or listeners and to warm their hearts at the end when the hero wins through and his adversary comes to a gruesome end. I particularly enjoyed 'The Leaves that Hung but Never Grew' for its clever use of a story that becomes the story, and 'Mary, Maid of the Mill' for its heroine who wasnt what they call beautiful, but she had her wits about her. These are tales to be read aloud in a candlelit room to an audience of any age from 9 upwards. The only drawback to that would be that listeners would not see Breckons wonderful black and white illustrations, which perfectly complement the text and add power to it. Mari Strachan It is possible to use this review for promotional purposes, but the following acknowledgment should be included: A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council. Gellir defnyddior adolygiad hwn at bwrpas hybu, ond gofynnir i chi gynnwys y gydnabyddiaeth ganlynol: Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiatd Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru. -- Welsh Books Council

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