At the Back of the North Wind ebook

by George MacDonald

At the Back of the North Wind is a children's book written by Scottish author George MacDonald. It was serialized in the children's magazine Good Words for the Young beginning in 1868 and was published in book form in 1871.

At the Back of the North Wind is a children's book written by Scottish author George MacDonald. It is a fantasy centered on a boy named Diamond and his adventures with the North Wind. Diamond travels together with the mysterious Lady North Wind through the nights.

I HAVE been asked to tell you about the back of the north wind. An old Greek writer mentions a people who lived there, and were so comfortable that they could not bear it any longer, and drowned themselves. I am going to tell you how it fared with a boy who went there. He lived in a low room over a coach-house; and that was not by any means at the back of the north wind, as his mother very well knew.

It was serialized in the children's magazine Good Words for the Young beginning in 1868 and was published in book form in 1871. The book includes the fairy tale Little Daylight, which has been pulled out as an independent work, or separately, added to other collections of his fairy tales. For one side of the room was built only of boards, and the boards were so old that you might run a penknife through into the north wind. And then let them settle between them which was the sharper!

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1905 George MacDonald was born on December 10, 1824 in Huntley, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. He attended University in Aberdeen in 1840 and then went on to Highbury College in 1848 where he studied to be a Congregational Minister, receiving his M. A. His first appointment was in Arundel, but he was forced to resign form the position in 1853. In 1863, MacDonald published "David Eiginbrod, the first of a dozen novels that were set in Scotland and based on the lives of rural Scots.

George MacDonald (1824-1905) was a Scottish author, poet and preacher; a mentor of fellow writer Lewis Carroll .

George MacDonald is a master story crafter; this book is one of his masterpieces. I remembered the portrayal of the North Wind as a beautiful, comforting woman, but was not able at that age to appreciate her mystical, spiritual significance

George MacDonald is a master story crafter; this book is one of his masterpieces. Pacing and plot might slow at times, but the teachings here are beyond spoiler possible. The North Wind is Death. This book is about the dealings between death and an innocent child. I remembered the portrayal of the North Wind as a beautiful, comforting woman, but was not able at that age to appreciate her mystical, spiritual significance. She now seems to me to be the embodiment of the spirit of love. I don't think she is Death, but that she incorporates some of the lovelier, reassuring aspects of death.

George MACDONALD (1824 - 1905). At the Back of the North Wind is a children's book by George MacDonald.

I have been asked to tell you about the back of the north wind. An old Greek writer mentions a people who lived there, and were so uncomfortable that they could not bear it any longer, and drowned themselves. My story is not the same as his. I do not think Herodotus had got the right account of the place. I am going to tell you how it fared with a boy who went there. - George MacDonald

Morlunn

George MacDonald (1824-1905) was a Scottish author, poet and preacher; a mentor of fellow writer Lewis Carroll, and some of his works of fantasy have become classics in the genre, and inspired other authors, like C.S. Lewis. At the Back of the North Wind was first serialized in the children's magazine Good Words for the Young in 1868, and published in book form in 1871.

At the centre of the story is a small boy named Diamond, son of a poor coachman – who also has a horse with the same name. The boy Diamond sleeps in the loft over the stable (right over the stall of Diamond the horse); and in the wall by his bed there is a knothole, through which the North Wind blows. In Diamond’s dreams (or is it more than just dreams?), the North Wind takes the shape of a beautiful woman with long hair – sometimes small like a fairy, sometimes huge and awe-inspiring like a mighty storm – sweeping Diamond away on nightly adventures, both in his own town and to a distant land, “at the back of the north wind”.

Diamond is at the same time a mystery and a joy to the people around him. Kind and helpful and trusting, and making friends whereever he goes - but also going his own ways, showing both practical initiative, and surprising people by fanciful ideas, rhymes and dreams. He’s naive in some ways, and yet also wise and philosphical far beyond his age. Some think he’s not quite right in his head; but he never takes offense.

It is not a book easy to categorize. Take the basic setting (including poor little boy) from a novel by Charles Dickens; put it down a rabbit hole (as in Alice in Wonderland - 1865); add a good portion of classic fairy tale and fable; mix in some serious theodicy questions and answers; and serve with a sprinkle of nursery rhymes on top. It’s very much up to the reader’s taste to decide what to make of it!

I read it the first time about 25 years ago in Swedish translation, and reread it now because I found had forgotten most of it, and also wanted to read it in the original language. The story also makes a lot of deviations like long nursery rhymes and whole fairy tales told within the story. Some of the details deserve more attention than one might think at first, as there are plenty of parallells between the ‘reality’ vs. stories and dreams within the book (much like the roots of our dreams can often be found in our daytime life).

It’s not a book I’d recommend as a must-read for everyone. My guess is that some will stll love it while other modern readers may find it strange and too old-fashioned in style. But if you are interested in classic children’s literature and fantasy, I think you will probably recognise themes and ideas also used by many other authors within those genres.

Dolid

Another exquisite tapestry of a fairy tale by the renowned 19th century Scottish minister and theologian, George MacDonald, who, according to his biography, lost several of his own children to early death, due to the appalling childhood mortality which was just a fact of existence during MacDonald's lifetime. This highly intelligent and educated author's child-like, unquestioning faith in a traditional Christian God, despite his own many losses and suffering, resulted in a faith in a God, who, though mysterious in His ways, nevertheless, must have a purpose for His often times ill-seeming behavior and eventually (in Heaven?) reveal a deep meaning, behind the superfiicial appearance of tragedy, illness, sickness, lack of fairness, etc., for the down-trodden and afflicted members of humankind, as well as for animals and all sentient beings, e.g, elves in cottages and fairies who dwell among the petals of roses. MacDonald portrays the powerful, yet apparently whimsical or sometimes even nonsensical behavior of the mysterious, omniscient God in whom he believes through the character, North Wind, who must do her work, because it "feels" right to her, despite the violence and tragedy she sometimes wreaks. such as, for example, her "work" is to sink a ship, in which scene, where she grows from a lovely lady to a giantress, she sets the innocent little Curdie, who has "come along for the ride" with her, as it were, down from where he is hiding amid the wild, wavy tresses of her hair, as she flies through the air, so that Curdie will be spared hearing the cries and screams of the drowning passengers of the ship. Believe it or not, MacDonald manages to pull off this literary feat in a way that is not only entertaining,, but downright humorous, in the course of the "argument" between Curdie and the North Wind as to the wisdom of this gratuitous act of violence..

Usanner

As an avid reader since the age of six, and who spent much of her childhood and formative years lost in one book or another, after I read this book, I felt sad that I hadn't encountered it earlier. Having a degree in English, I was fed a great number of books to read prior to graduation in 2007, many of which I could have done without. I don't regret my education, but I DO harbor a strong feeling of dismay that so few of the books offered a hopeful or positive outlook that one could take with one with optimism on the road of life.
George MacDonald is a brilliant writer, who C. S. Lewis and Tolkien both admired and emulated in their own special ways with their fantasy tales that quietly introduced Christian values within the texts. Since there is no mention of the Christian bible, perhaps it is my own background that chose to interpret the tale within that context, but in any case, it is a beautifully rendered tale of an innocent child who experiences many hardships in life. I leave it to you, Potential Gentle Reader, to buy it for yourself and decide, as I did, how the world today needs books like these more than ever before. Jessie Wilcox Smith's illustrations only add to the joy of this beautiful book. I cannot recommend it highly enough--for children and those, like me, who have the heart of a child.

Mr_Mole

I was a little confused at first...until I figured out that there were two Diamonds, Diamond the horse and Diamond the boy. After I got that cleared up, the story was great. George Macdonald writes so that I feel that I am there sharing all the adventures with Diamond and going along with him on his windy rides. The writer portrayed many different types of people: rich, poor, drunken, mothers, fathers, neighbors...I was thinking about going back and taking some quotes. I guess when you want to to that then the story is good. I give it a four because it was a bit confusing at times and there were a lot of poems that I felt when on and on.