WRITER

George MacDonald

1824 - 1905

Photo of George MacDonald

Icon of person George MacDonald

George MacDonald (10 December 1824 – 18 September 1905) was a Scottish author, poet and Christian Congregational minister. He became a pioneering figure in the field of modern fantasy literature and the mentor of fellow-writer Lewis Carroll. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of George MacDonald has received more than 1,253,579 page views. His biography is available in 37 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 34 in 2019). George MacDonald is the 2,080th most popular writer (down from 1,852nd in 2019), the 1,571st most popular biography from United Kingdom (down from 1,457th in 2019) and the 167th most popular British Writer.

Memorability Metrics

  • 1.3M

    Page Views (PV)

  • 55.93

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 37

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 3.47

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 4.45

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Notable Works

At the back of the North Wind
Fairy tales, Juvenile fiction, French language materials
This book tells the adventures of a little boy, named for his father's favorite horse, as he travels with the beautiful lady North Wind and comes to know the many facets of her protective and violent temper. The book tells the story of a young boy named Diamond. He is a very sweet little boy who makes joy everywhere he goes. He fights despair and gloom and brings peace to his family. One night, as he is trying to sleep, Diamond repeatedly plugs up a hole in the loft (also his bedroom) wall to stop the wind from blowing in. However, he soon finds out that this is stopping the North Wind from seeing through her window. Diamond befriends her, and North Wind lets him ride on her back, taking him on several adventures. Though the North Wind does good deeds and helps people, she also does seemingly terrible things. On one of her assignments, she must sink a ship. Yet everything she does that seems bad leads to something good. The North Wind seems to be a representation of Pain and Death working according to God's will for something good. On their adventures, North Wind brings Diamond to the country she lives in, a country without pain and death. Yet, he is brought only to a shadow of the real country at the back of the North Wind. The real country is open for him only after his death. At the end of the book, Diamond dies, finally able to see the country. - Wikipedia.
1882
Phantastes
Fairy tales, Scottish Fantasy fiction
One of George MacDonald's most important works, Phantastes is the story of a young man named Anotos and his long dreamlike journey in Fairy Land. It is the fairy tale of deep spiritual insight as Anotos makes his way through moments of uncertainty and peril and mistakes that can have irreversible consequences. This is also his spiritual quest that is destined to end with the supreme surrender of the self. When he finally experiences the hard-won surrender, a wave of joy overwhelms him. His intense personal introspection is honest as he is offered the full range of symbolic choices--great beauty, horrifying ugliness, irritating goblins, nurturing spirits. Each confrontation in Fairy Land allows Anotos to learn many necessary lessons. As he continues on the journey, many shadowy beings threaten his spiritual well-being and compel him to sing. The songs are irresistible to a beautiful White Lady who is freed from inside a statue by the music, and Anotos remains captivated by her for a long time. He sees the world more objectively; his trek invites a natural descent into feelings of pride and egotism. But his losses and sorrows coalesce themselves into things of grace, and these experiences help his spiritual growth. Please Note: This book has been reformatted to be easy to read in true text, not scanned images that can sometimes be difficult to decipher. The Microsoft eBook has a contents page linked to the chapter headings for easy navigation. The Adobe eBook has bookmarks at chapter headings and is printable up to two full copies per year. Both versions are text searchable.
1858
The Princess and Curdie
Juvenile fiction, Fiction in English, Fairy tales
The book is the sequel to The Princess and the Goblin. The adventure continues with Princess Irene and Curdie a year or two older. They must overthrow a set of corrupt ministers who are poisoning Irene's father, the king. Irene's grandmother also reappears and gives Curdie a strange gift. A monster called Lina aids his quest.
1832
The Princess and the Goblin
Fairy tales, Juvenile fiction
A little princess is protected by her friend Curdie and her newly-discovered great-great-grandmother from the goblin miners who live in caves beneath the royal castle. One night Princess Irene discovers her beautiful great-great-grandmother spinning silver thread in the palace tower. Though great danger is about to come upon the sunny kingdom, the old lady promises to keep Irene safe. But when no one will believe her tales of the secret tower, Irene's confidence begins to waver. - Publisher.
1907
Sir Gibbie
Fiction, Orphans, Boys
1879
Lilith
Non-Classifiable
1895

Among WRITERS

Among writers, George MacDonald ranks 2,080 out of 7,302. Before him are Isaac Titsingh, Ibn Taghribirdi, Yasmina Reza, Barbara von Krüdener, Sigismund von Herberstein, and Ferdynand Antoni Ossendowski. After him are Vasily Aksyonov, Sophie de Condorcet, Dominique Venner, Hermas, Cyprian Norwid, and Aspazija.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1824, George MacDonald ranks 34. Before him are Michael Madhusudan Dutt, Karl-Maria Kertbeny, Leland Stanford, Peter Cornelius, Louis II, Grand Duke of Baden, and Maria Beatrix of Austria-Este. After him are Count Karl Sigmund von Hohenwart, Gustave Boulanger, Nana Sahib, Adolphe Monticelli, Avram Iancu, and Pierre-Émile Martin. Among people deceased in 1905, George MacDonald ranks 32. Before him are Albert von Kölliker, Marcel Schwob, Adolf Bastian, Ivan Sechenov, Otto Wilhelm von Struve, and Carmine Crocco. After him are Meyer Guggenheim, Lew Wallace, José-Maria de Heredia, Pedro Américo, Mary Mapes Dodge, and Franz Reuleaux.

Others Born in 1824

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Others Deceased in 1905

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In United Kingdom

Among people born in United Kingdom, George MacDonald ranks 1,571 out of 8,785. Before him are Samantha Fox (1966), Andrew Lincoln (1973), Thomas Byles (1870), Erling Braut Håland (2000), Hugh Fraser (1945), and John Blow (1649). After him are Gilbert Ryle (1900), Jim Carter (1948), Alan Wilder (1959), Dunstan (909), Stephen Rea (1946), and Rafael Merry del Val (1865).

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Among WRITERS In United Kingdom

Among writers born in United Kingdom, George MacDonald ranks 167. Before him are Anthony Trollope (1815), Robert Southey (1774), Christopher Isherwood (1904), Karen Armstrong (1944), Philip Kerr (1956), and Clive Barker (1952). After him are James Hilton (1900), Patrick O'Brian (1914), James Herbert Brennan (1940), Orderic Vitalis (1075), James Boswell (1740), and Aphra Behn (1640).

British born Writers

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