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Tales of War
Lord Dunsany was one of the most influential fantasy authors of the twentieth century. Like J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis he served during the great war. Collected here are twenty-nine stories of that terrible war. Dunsany saw the horrors of war and he was Uniquely qualified to capture the experience in prose.
72 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1918
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About the author
Lord Dunsany
648 books803 followersEdward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, eighteenth baron of Dunsany, was an Anglo-Irish writer and dramatist, notable for his work in fantasy published under the name Lord Dunsany. More than eighty books of his work were published, and his oeuvre includes hundreds of short stories, as well as successful plays, novels and essays. Born to one of the oldest titles in the Irish peerage, he lived much of his life at perhaps Ireland's longest-inhabited home, Dunsany Castle near Tara, received an honourary doctorate from Trinity College, and died in Dublin.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 6, 2013
Dunsany is best known as one of the masters of fantasy, possessing one of the most complex, developed, and subtle voices in supernatural fiction, as he displayed to peerless effect in The King of Elfland's Daughter, one of the few fantasy books I've read where the magic actually felt magical, instead of just being a contrivance or allegory. And yet, so many times, when I discover these great authors, it takes me a long time before I read another of their books.
I'm not sure why I possess this habit--perhaps its that, once I've found something really good, I know it's there, waiting, and so I can get on the search for the next revelation and return to my cadre of Great Authors when I'm too tired of disappointment. Then of course, there are also those authors, like Leiber, who start out brilliantly and become rather disappointing, themselves, as time goes on.
So there is always a certain hesitancy when approaching a new work by a well-loved author, because few things are more unpleasant than to watch someone do something poorly when you know it is perfectly within their power to do well. Gladly, when I cracked this collection of tales fictionalizing Dunsany's experience in The Great War, I discovered that Dunsany's skill was to be felt in all its force.
Within, you will find his knack for creating odd little characters who feel real by virtue of their unrealness--that same gift that lent Peake and Gogol their brilliance. Likewise he demonstrates his fine sense of mood and rhythm, and of curious turns in his language, which never fails to remind me that he wrote all his stories longhand, with a quill pen. There is also a great variety of mood and theme, from stories of small life to unsettling, eerie tales to his meditations on the ancient, fey spirit of the land, and the crass stupidity of war.
Unfortunately, coming to the middle of the book, this variety of approaches begins to wane, and he gives us a number of stories which harp on the same themes over and over--namely, the foolishness of the Kaiser and the destruction of the ancient beauty of France. Some of these are quite powerful and affecting, but others rehash the same ideas over again, and it becomes rather dull. Its not that any individual story is weak, but it feels like we're looking at many drafts of the same idea, some stronger than others.
This was really the only reason that I dropped the rating down from five stars. Indeed, its one of the few examples I can think of where the removal of some stories would have improved the book. In any case, it did nothing to reduce my opinion of Dunsany, and I'll have to make a note to myself to visit his lovely works more often than has erstwhile been my habit.
I'm not sure why I possess this habit--perhaps its that, once I've found something really good, I know it's there, waiting, and so I can get on the search for the next revelation and return to my cadre of Great Authors when I'm too tired of disappointment. Then of course, there are also those authors, like Leiber, who start out brilliantly and become rather disappointing, themselves, as time goes on.
So there is always a certain hesitancy when approaching a new work by a well-loved author, because few things are more unpleasant than to watch someone do something poorly when you know it is perfectly within their power to do well. Gladly, when I cracked this collection of tales fictionalizing Dunsany's experience in The Great War, I discovered that Dunsany's skill was to be felt in all its force.
Within, you will find his knack for creating odd little characters who feel real by virtue of their unrealness--that same gift that lent Peake and Gogol their brilliance. Likewise he demonstrates his fine sense of mood and rhythm, and of curious turns in his language, which never fails to remind me that he wrote all his stories longhand, with a quill pen. There is also a great variety of mood and theme, from stories of small life to unsettling, eerie tales to his meditations on the ancient, fey spirit of the land, and the crass stupidity of war.
Unfortunately, coming to the middle of the book, this variety of approaches begins to wane, and he gives us a number of stories which harp on the same themes over and over--namely, the foolishness of the Kaiser and the destruction of the ancient beauty of France. Some of these are quite powerful and affecting, but others rehash the same ideas over again, and it becomes rather dull. Its not that any individual story is weak, but it feels like we're looking at many drafts of the same idea, some stronger than others.
This was really the only reason that I dropped the rating down from five stars. Indeed, its one of the few examples I can think of where the removal of some stories would have improved the book. In any case, it did nothing to reduce my opinion of Dunsany, and I'll have to make a note to myself to visit his lovely works more often than has erstwhile been my habit.
December 14, 2020
Een wat vergeten werk van Lord Dunsany. Het is heel anders dan zijn andere, fantastische (als in 'fantasie') werk. Tales of War bestaat uit stukjes, geen echte verhalen maar meer vignetten, over de Eerste Wereldoorlog. Naturalistische, impressionistische stukjes met beelden van de loopgraven en de waanzin die eruit blijkt (ook bekend uit veel andere literatuur over WO I, zoals Im Westen Nichts Neues), worden afgewisseld met een soort visioenen en parabels. In deze laatste soort tekstjes blijkt toch wel de hand van Lord Dunsany, lijkt hij even terug te grijpen naar zijn tegelijk rauwe en sprookjesachtige werelden van goden en aanbiddingen.
Zeer opvallend is de (onbewuste?) voorspelling in het verhaal 'A Famous Man' over soldaten die op het slagveld naar films van Charlie Chaplin kijken. De volgende zinnen lijken te verwijzen naar 'The Great Dictator', wat niet kan, omdat Dunsany dit schreef in 1918, dus 22 jaar vóór chaplins film:
"And one day surely (...) he [Chaplin] will walk over the faces of the Prussian Guard and, picking up the Kaiser by the collar, with infinite nonchalance in finger and thumb, will place him neatly in a prone position and solemnly sit on his chest."
In de versie die ik heb gelezen missen steeds de eerste regels van de verhalen. Elders las ik dat de tekst niet geheel/goed is overgeleverd. Dat is wel wat vervelend lezen, al mist de lezer niet echt iets inhoudelijks.
Ik geef toch maar 3 sterren, omdat het geheel niet lekker doorleest en ik 32 verhaaltjes over hetzelfde thema wat te veel vind. Maar het is zeker een belangrijk werk, dat om verschillende redenen (letterkundige en historische) niet mag worden vergeten.
Zeer opvallend is de (onbewuste?) voorspelling in het verhaal 'A Famous Man' over soldaten die op het slagveld naar films van Charlie Chaplin kijken. De volgende zinnen lijken te verwijzen naar 'The Great Dictator', wat niet kan, omdat Dunsany dit schreef in 1918, dus 22 jaar vóór chaplins film:
"And one day surely (...) he [Chaplin] will walk over the faces of the Prussian Guard and, picking up the Kaiser by the collar, with infinite nonchalance in finger and thumb, will place him neatly in a prone position and solemnly sit on his chest."
In de versie die ik heb gelezen missen steeds de eerste regels van de verhalen. Elders las ik dat de tekst niet geheel/goed is overgeleverd. Dat is wel wat vervelend lezen, al mist de lezer niet echt iets inhoudelijks.
Ik geef toch maar 3 sterren, omdat het geheel niet lekker doorleest en ik 32 verhaaltjes over hetzelfde thema wat te veel vind. Maar het is zeker een belangrijk werk, dat om verschillende redenen (letterkundige en historische) niet mag worden vergeten.
May 14, 2025
Como siempre, Lord Dunsany cumple de forma excelsa.
En este pequeño y corto libro de relatos entre ficticios, reales y fantásticos, Lord Dunsany nos muestra el profundo desprecio y horror que la Primera Guerra Mundial generó en su soñadora persona.
Llamado a las filas, herido tras un incidente cotidiano, escribió la propaganda de guerra en contra del Káiser Guillermo II, para Dunsany, el únco y real culpable de la infinidad de muertes acontecidas durante la guerra.
En estos 26 relatos en este libro encontrados, y solo restando 8 más para que la colección estuviera completa, algo que jamás voy a perdonar al editor por presentar un libro incompleto, Lord Dunsany nos relata con su habitual prosa poética las peripecias y penurias de los soldados en las trincheras, sus deseos de volver a casa, y las experiencias por siempre grabadas en los corazones de los sobrevivientes. A su vez, con un hábil manejo de sus dotes propagandísticas, utiliza estos relatos como vehículo para la denuncia de la infinidad de calamidades ocurridas por el capricho del Káiser.
En los relatos encontramos no solo la belleza descriptiva de ensueños que Lord Dunsany nos tiene acostumbrados, con visiones cataclísmicas de la destrucción propagada por toda Francia y los incontables cuerpos allí yacentes, sino también sátira, humor, horror, e incluso re-escrituras de clásicos como el relato en el que el Káiser y un fantasma recorren la ciudad y el primero ve con sus propios ojos los estragos que su ambición ha provocado, tal como si fuera el Sr. Scrooge en Noche de Navidad de Charles Dickens.
Es una colección dispar de relatos, por eso no es un 5 estrellas puro, más bien un 4 y un poco más, pues algunos relatos se nota han sido escritos más desde lo venal y como contrapunto propagandístico que por el arte de escribir tal y como Lord Dunsany siempre hizo hasta ese entonces.
Más allá de ello, cabe recalcar que estas experiencias marcarán por siempre el trabajo posterior de Lord Dunsany,e imprimirá una melancolía sin igual en sus escritos venideros, mostrando así la madurez que alcanzó tras volver de la guerra.
En suma, es una colección muy agradable de relatos que, aún cuando no son viscerales o innecesariamente explícitos, dejan más que claro el desastre humano que implica una guerra.
Es angustiante pensar que tiempo después, Lord Dunsany sería llamado a filas una vez más para enfrentar la amenaza del nazismo en la Segunda Guerra Mundial.
¿Qué pensarías tu, mi buen y amabilísimo escritor, de la situación que estamos viviendo hoy en día?
Gracias, una vez más, Lord Dunsany, por escribir esta colección de relatos impactantes y verdaderos como solo tu supiste hacer con tanta maestría.
En este pequeño y corto libro de relatos entre ficticios, reales y fantásticos, Lord Dunsany nos muestra el profundo desprecio y horror que la Primera Guerra Mundial generó en su soñadora persona.
Llamado a las filas, herido tras un incidente cotidiano, escribió la propaganda de guerra en contra del Káiser Guillermo II, para Dunsany, el únco y real culpable de la infinidad de muertes acontecidas durante la guerra.
En estos 26 relatos en este libro encontrados, y solo restando 8 más para que la colección estuviera completa, algo que jamás voy a perdonar al editor por presentar un libro incompleto, Lord Dunsany nos relata con su habitual prosa poética las peripecias y penurias de los soldados en las trincheras, sus deseos de volver a casa, y las experiencias por siempre grabadas en los corazones de los sobrevivientes. A su vez, con un hábil manejo de sus dotes propagandísticas, utiliza estos relatos como vehículo para la denuncia de la infinidad de calamidades ocurridas por el capricho del Káiser.
En los relatos encontramos no solo la belleza descriptiva de ensueños que Lord Dunsany nos tiene acostumbrados, con visiones cataclísmicas de la destrucción propagada por toda Francia y los incontables cuerpos allí yacentes, sino también sátira, humor, horror, e incluso re-escrituras de clásicos como el relato en el que el Káiser y un fantasma recorren la ciudad y el primero ve con sus propios ojos los estragos que su ambición ha provocado, tal como si fuera el Sr. Scrooge en Noche de Navidad de Charles Dickens.
Es una colección dispar de relatos, por eso no es un 5 estrellas puro, más bien un 4 y un poco más, pues algunos relatos se nota han sido escritos más desde lo venal y como contrapunto propagandístico que por el arte de escribir tal y como Lord Dunsany siempre hizo hasta ese entonces.
Más allá de ello, cabe recalcar que estas experiencias marcarán por siempre el trabajo posterior de Lord Dunsany,e imprimirá una melancolía sin igual en sus escritos venideros, mostrando así la madurez que alcanzó tras volver de la guerra.
En suma, es una colección muy agradable de relatos que, aún cuando no son viscerales o innecesariamente explícitos, dejan más que claro el desastre humano que implica una guerra.
Es angustiante pensar que tiempo después, Lord Dunsany sería llamado a filas una vez más para enfrentar la amenaza del nazismo en la Segunda Guerra Mundial.
¿Qué pensarías tu, mi buen y amabilísimo escritor, de la situación que estamos viviendo hoy en día?
Gracias, una vez más, Lord Dunsany, por escribir esta colección de relatos impactantes y verdaderos como solo tu supiste hacer con tanta maestría.
May 29, 2018
"But the nightmare is stronger than its master, and grows mightier every night; and the All-Highest War Lord learns that there are powers in Hell that are easily summoned by the rulers of earth, but that go not easily home.
By the outbreak of the Great War, Lord Dunsany was arguably the most accomplished fantasist in the world, and inarguably of the highest echelon. Which makes his stories written contemporaneously with the War a stark reminder that he was also actively engaged in the world of his time. And for those who like to regard an individual work within the context of an author's career, it further functions as a fascinating exercise in contrasting and occasionally combining the extremes of his lyrical fantasy with the brutal realities of trench warfare.
On the one hand, many of these tales were published to buck up the morale of soldiers and civilians and keep them in the fight. On the other hand, it seems utterly at odds with jingoist 'home by Christmas' propaganda, as Dunsany doesn't glorify war and focuses with laser precision on the inherent tragedy and devastation it causes to individuals, to society, and to the once-beautiful French landscape. One wonders if it had any motivational impact, and if so, in which direction.
This is not to say, of course, that he was an impartial observer. Hence while there's much focus on the horror of war, it is laid repeatedly at the door of the Kaiser. Much of the book indeed seems to consist of permutations - often poetic, allegorical, and sometimes even supernatural - of criticising the Kaiser, emphasising the tragedy he has caused, and exhorting him to end the War. At one point it turns into a riff on A Christmas Carol, with a spirit showing him glimpses of cosy families that will never come to be.
The collection, short though it may be, is worthy when considered from several angles. Be it as a document of its time, an insight into the worldview which informed Dunsany's later material, or as a not insubstantial demonstration of his formidably brilliant prose, it deserves better than to be written off as a footnote to his better-known fantasy works.
August 9, 2021
While it specifies "tales", it seems to me one of the best accounts of WWI from the trenches, and as experienced by the people in the UK. The stories not only are written around British soldiers, but also sometimes from the point of German soldiers, and their parents and wives. Modern readers might frown upon the way Wilhelm II is portrayed, but one should also take into account that the world was not so connected as it now is, and he was officially the commander in chief of Germany then.
October 31, 2021
Tales of war
Tales of battles during WWI by Lord Dunsany is will written with lots of detail. It is Ok 👌but then I don't know what I expected. Give it a try it may work for you. Enjoy the adventure of reading 📚 or 🎶 🔰 2021 🏰🗼
Tales of battles during WWI by Lord Dunsany is will written with lots of detail. It is Ok 👌but then I don't know what I expected. Give it a try it may work for you. Enjoy the adventure of reading 📚 or 🎶 🔰 2021 🏰🗼
November 9, 2021
Many pieces held my interest, others did not. It was hard to know whether it was the previous century language or unsuccessful writing that was holding me up. Decided to move along to something new. If you are a fan of this author, it's worth reading. Goes quickly.
August 25, 2024
Tales of War, first published in 1918, is a collection of stories about World War I by Lord Dunsany. This volume comes after a long series of books containing fantasy short stories and fantasy plays.
Dunsany was a captain in British army during the War and his patriotism is obvious throughout the book. In many of the stories Dunsany lampoons and condemns German leader Kaiser Wilhelm II, though with quiet sophistication and a sense of justice rather than outright, loud hostility. We cannot fault Dunsany, as a man who served in the War and saw its devastation first-hand. I've seen reviews of Tales of War that describe Dunsany's attitude as jingoistic, but in my view this criticism is misplaced and unfair.
While Dunsany does reference the violent death and personal tragedy that accompanied the conflict, he seems to reserve his greatest sense of loss for the carnage inflicted on the French countryside. I wondered why this was. Perhaps the loss of life was too painful for Dunsany to describe effectively. From his previous books, we know of Dunsany's attachment to the countryside and its associated childhood memories, but I don't believe this attachment would outweigh for him the massive loss of life that accompanied destruction of the countryside.
While the subject matter of Tales of War is quite different from his earlier books, Dunsany's writing is unmistakable. In particular, his fantastic personification of events and scenery is still very much present. Speaking of the pounding of big guns at night, Dunsany writes,
One of the most affecting stories in the collection is "Two Songs," in which Dunsany contrasts two people, one in the French countryside and one in the English countryside, who independently are singing each other's national songs, symbolizing the closeness of England and France in this conflict. Dunsany begins the story,
Dunsany continues in this vein for the whole short story. The subject matter of Tales of War is realistic rather than fantastic, but still it is full of beautiful writing by Dunsany. In addition, however, Dunsany's perspective on war is interesting and possibly still relevant.
Dunsany was a captain in British army during the War and his patriotism is obvious throughout the book. In many of the stories Dunsany lampoons and condemns German leader Kaiser Wilhelm II, though with quiet sophistication and a sense of justice rather than outright, loud hostility. We cannot fault Dunsany, as a man who served in the War and saw its devastation first-hand. I've seen reviews of Tales of War that describe Dunsany's attitude as jingoistic, but in my view this criticism is misplaced and unfair.
While Dunsany does reference the violent death and personal tragedy that accompanied the conflict, he seems to reserve his greatest sense of loss for the carnage inflicted on the French countryside. I wondered why this was. Perhaps the loss of life was too painful for Dunsany to describe effectively. From his previous books, we know of Dunsany's attachment to the countryside and its associated childhood memories, but I don't believe this attachment would outweigh for him the massive loss of life that accompanied destruction of the countryside.
While the subject matter of Tales of War is quite different from his earlier books, Dunsany's writing is unmistakable. In particular, his fantastic personification of events and scenery is still very much present. Speaking of the pounding of big guns at night, Dunsany writes,
It is then as though a herd of giants, things of enormous height, came out from lairs in the earth and began to play with the hills. It is as though they picked up the tops of the hills in their hands and let them drop rather slowly. It is exactly like hills falling. (p. 54)
One of the most affecting stories in the collection is "Two Songs," in which Dunsany contrasts two people, one in the French countryside and one in the English countryside, who independently are singing each other's national songs, symbolizing the closeness of England and France in this conflict. Dunsany begins the story,
Over slopes of English hills looking south, in the time of violets, evening was falling.
Shadows at the edges of woods moved, and then merged in the gloaming.
The bat, like a shadow himself, finding that spring was come, slipped from the dark of the wood as far as a clump of beech-trees, and fluttered back again on his wonderful quiet wings.
Pairing pigeons were home.
Very young rabbits stole out to gaze at the calm, still world. They came out as the stars come out. At one time they were not there, and then you saw them, but you did not see them come. (p. 81)
Dunsany continues in this vein for the whole short story. The subject matter of Tales of War is realistic rather than fantastic, but still it is full of beautiful writing by Dunsany. In addition, however, Dunsany's perspective on war is interesting and possibly still relevant.
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September 18, 2013False
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews