Synopsis
Ancient tales of magic and mystery retold by one the UK’s finest storytellersTree of Leaf and Flame, published by Pont Books, is award-winning storyteller, Daniel Morden’s unique take on the Four Branches of the Mabinogi, an intertwining set of tales from the Middle Ages. Mysterious and dreamlike, they link two worlds: the everyday world we all inhabit, and Annwn, a magic Otherworld where nothing is as it seems.Tales of bold warriors, resourceful wives and scheming spellbinders are sure to cast a spell over the reader just as they do the storyteller himself. And what better way to enjoy these strange and fascinating tales than through the words of a storyteller who earns his living travelling Wales – just as the professional bards and troubadours did all those years ago?When asked what inspired him to write this book, Daniel Morden’s response was “I wanted to write a book I would have enjoyed reading when I was 10. I wanted to make these haunting, thrilling stories available to the young people I meet during my schools visits.”As well as being suitable for children of 9 years and older, Tree of Leaf and Flame also offers an accessible and unique take on the tales of The Mabinogi for adults. The book includes a useful pronunciation guide that uses common English words and syllables to help non-Welsh speakers pronounce names of characters and places.The striking scraperboard style illustrations by Brett Breckon convey perfectly the double nature of Daniel’s tales, that interplay of light and dark and good and evil which characterises the tales from the Mabinogi.The book is illustrated by Brett Breckon in the striking scraperboard style which attracted such praise in the companion volume Dark Tales from the Woods, published by Pont in 2006.
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 centres, theatres, 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, published by Pont Books in 2012.
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