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The Sword of Welleran and Other Stories (1908) is a short story collection by Lord Dunsany. Published at the beginning of his career, The Sword of Welleran and Other Stories-which features the pantheon of gods first portrayed in The Gods of Peg¿na (1905)-would influence such writers as J. R. R. Tolkein, Ursula K. Le Guin, and H. P. Lovecraft. Recognized as a pioneering author of fantasy and science fiction, Dunsany is a man whose work, in the words of Lovecraft, remains "unexcelled in the sorcery of crystalline singing prose, and supreme in the creation of a gorgeous and languorous world of incandescently exotic vision." "At the end of that avenue was a colossal chariot with three bronze horses driven by the winged figure of Fame, and behind her in the chariot the huge form of Welleran, Merimna's ancient hero, standing with extended sword." The Sword of Welleran and Other Stories, Dunsany's third collection of short fiction, contains some of his finest tales of fantasy and adventure. While the people of Merimna sleep soundly, while the guards of the city sing songs and tell stories of the warriors Welleran and Rollory, the tribesmen of the plains below look up in awe, wondering if the day will come when Merimna's glory fades. Behind the ramparts, a young boy named Rold looks up at the statues of his heroes, hoping to take their place. Dunsany's tales of high fantasy continue to delight over a century after they first appeared in print. This edition of Lord Dunsany's The Sword of Welleran and Other Stories is a classic of Irish fantasy fiction reimagined for modern readers.
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About the author
LORD DUNSANY- Born July 24, 1878, Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany, was a prolific Anglo-Irish author whose writings profoundly influenced the shape and structure of the modern fantasy genre. Best known his first book, The Gods of Peg¿na, and later The King of Elfland's Daughter, Lord Dunsany proved talented not only as a novelist, but also as a poet, playwright, short story writer, and essayist, producing over ninety works prior to his death from appendicitis on October 25, 1957. Nevertheless, previously unknown works by Lord Dunsany have continued to surface as recently as 2017.A proud Irishman, Lord Dunsany was heavily involved in the Irish Literary Revival or "Celtic Twilight" movement that also included William Butler Yeats, Douglas Hyde, George Bernard Shaw and Lady Isabella Augusta Gregory. For his efforts to preserve and expand the heritage and stature of Irish literature, Trinity College in Dublin awarded Lord Dunsany, a graduate of the Royal Military College, with an honorary doctorate degree.Outside of writing, Lord Dunsany was a veteran of the Second Boer War and Second World War, consummate outdoorsman, animal rights advocate, champion pistol shooter, and chess enthusiast-even developing his own asymmetrical variant called Dunsany's Chess. He is buried at the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Shoreham, Kent.
