The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye: Five Fairy Stories
A. S. Byatt
(Author)
21,000+ Reviews
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Description
Gillian Perholt, an independent and sensible scholar, no longer young, is given a bottle of beautiful 'nightingale's eye' glass by a Turkish friend. Inside it is trapped a huge (and very male) djinn, a magical genie who must grant her three wishes in return for his release. Gillian's use of her wishes -- she is an expert in fairy stories and in what can go wrong with wishes -- is careful and surprising. The story takes the professor and the djinn from Istanbul to Toronto and Madison Avenue. The two discover one another's worlds, with respect, and something more. 'The Glass Coffin' and 'Gode's Story' are included here, with three contemporary additions: 'The Story of the Eldest Princess, ' 'Dragons' Breath, ' and the incomparable novella-length title story. Byatt's inventive and enticing stories are both magical and very modern. They are fairy tales for adults, which retain the mystery and beauty of the world we imagine as children.
Product Details
Price
$15.95
$14.83
Publisher
Vintage
Publish Date
October 27, 1998
Pages
288
Dimensions
5.2 X 8.01 X 0.79 inches | 0.53 pounds
Language
English
Type
Paperback
EAN/UPC
9780679762225
BISAC Categories:
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About the Author
A. S. Byatt was the author of numerous novels, including The Children's Book, The Biographer's Tale, and Possession, which was awarded the Booker Prize. She also wrote two novellas, published together as Angels & Insects, five collections of short stories, and several works of nonfiction. A distinguished critic and author, and the recipient of the 2016 Erasmus Prize for her "inspiring contribution to 'life writing, '" she died in 2023.
Reviews
"A storyteller who could keep a sultan on the edge of his throne for a thousand and one nights." --The New York Times Book Review "A dreamy treat. . . . It is not merely strange, it is wondrous." --Boston Globe "Alternatingly erudite and earthy, direct and playful. . . . If Scheherazade ever needs a break, Byatt can step in, indefinitely." --Chicago Tribune "Byatt's writing is crystalline and splendidly imaginative. . . . These [are] perfectly formed tales." --Washington Post Book World
"Those new to the world of Byatt might well begin here, with these tales-within-tales, which one can read as anything from contemporary allegories--such as the superb Dragon's Breath, evoking every idyll that ever fell foul of war or famine--to sheer celebrations of storytelling itself." --Vogue "The familiar elements of fairy story come to life under A.S. Byatt's touch . . . with lightness, precision, grace." --Observer "A cerebral extravaganza, bristling with ideas." --Spectator "The fairy story is obviously a form that fascinates A.S. Byatt, it suits her spare, cool prose and this collection enables her to create very different effects . . . a beautifully produced book." --Financial Times "As with all of Byatt's work, there is a fierce intelligence at play, and beautifully nuanced prose." --Publisher's Weekly
"Those new to the world of Byatt might well begin here, with these tales-within-tales, which one can read as anything from contemporary allegories--such as the superb Dragon's Breath, evoking every idyll that ever fell foul of war or famine--to sheer celebrations of storytelling itself." --Vogue "The familiar elements of fairy story come to life under A.S. Byatt's touch . . . with lightness, precision, grace." --Observer "A cerebral extravaganza, bristling with ideas." --Spectator "The fairy story is obviously a form that fascinates A.S. Byatt, it suits her spare, cool prose and this collection enables her to create very different effects . . . a beautifully produced book." --Financial Times "As with all of Byatt's work, there is a fierce intelligence at play, and beautifully nuanced prose." --Publisher's Weekly
