The Wand In The Word

In a series of incisive interviews, Leonard S. Marcus engages thirteen master storytellers in spirited conversation about their life and work, providing inspiring reading for fantasy fans and future writers alike.

What kind of child were you? When did you decide you wanted to be a writer? Why do you write fantasy?

"Fantasy," writes Leonard S. Marcus, "is storytelling with the beguiling power to transform the impossible into the imaginable and to reveal our own 'real' world in a fresh and truth-bearing light." Few have harnessed this power with the artistry, verve, and imagination of the authors encountered in this compelling book. How do they work their magic?

Finely nuanced and continually revealing, Leonard S. Marcus's interviews range widely over questions of literary craft and moral vision, as he asks thirteen noted fantasy authors about their pivotal life experiences, their literary influences and work routines, and their core beliefs about the place of fantasy in literature and in our lives.

About the Author

Leonard S. Marcus is one of the children's book world's most respected and versatile writers, historians and critics. A consultant for television, radio, museums and the American National Book Foundation, he has organized numerous exhibitions of children's books across the USA, as well as contributing frequently to The New York Times. The Washington Post and Parenting magazine. He and his wife, the picture-book artist Amy Schwartz, live with their son Jacob in New York, USA.