Reflections (39 page)

Credits

Cover design by Sylvie Le Floc'h

Copyright

Reflections
was first published by David Fickling Books (UK) and edited by Charlie Butler.

 

Several titles mentioned in this collection were published under alternate titles in the US:
Black Maria
was published as
Aunt Maria
and
Wilkins' Tooth
was published as
Witch's Business
. In addition,
Dark Lord of Derkholm
and its sequel
The Year of the Griffin
were published in the UK as adult titles but in the US were young adult books.

 

 

Reflections: On the Magic of Writing. Text copyright © 2012 by The Estate of Diana Wynne Jones.
Foreword copyright © 2012 by Neil Gaiman. Introduction copyright © 2012 by Charles Butler.

 

Excerpts from “Burnt Norton” “East Coker” “The Dry Salvages” and “Little Gidding” from FOUR QUARTETS by T. S. Eliot. Copyright 1936 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company; Copyright © renewed 1964 by T. S. Eliot. Copyright 1940, 1941, 1942 by T. S. Eliot; Copyright © renewed 1968, 1969, 1970 by Esme Valerie Eliot. Reprinted by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Reprinted in e-book format by permission of Faber and Faber Ltd. All rights reserved.

 

“Something About the Author” © 1988 by Gale. Reproduced by permission of Gale.

 

“The Origins of
Changeover
” copyright © 2004 by Diana Wynne Jones. Reproduced courtesy of Moondust Books.

 

“Fantasy Books for Children” reproduced of
The Good Book Guide
. “Answers to Some Questions” reproduced courtesy of
Foundation: The International Review of Science Fiction
. “Review of
Boy in Darkness
” reproduced courtesy of
Books for Keeps.

 

Photographs reproduced with kind permission from the Estate of Diana Wynne Jones.

 

First published in 2012 by David Fickling Books, a division of Random House Children's Books, a Random house Group Company. First published in 2012 in the United States by Greenwillow Books. The right of Diana Wynne Jones to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins ebooks.

 

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

 

Jones, Diana Wynne, author. Reflections : on the magic of writing / by Diana Wynne Jones. pages cm

Summary: “This collection of more than twenty-five critical essays, speeches, and biographical pieces written and/or chosen by Diana Wynne Jones will be required reading for the author's many fans and for students and teachers of the genre. Reflections includes insightful literary criticism alongside autobiographical anecdotes about reading tours (including an account of the author's famous travel jinx), revelations about the origins of the author's books, and thoughts in general about the life of an author and the value of writing. The longest autobiographical piece, “Something About the Author,” details Diana's extraordinary childhood and is illustrated with family photographs. Reflections is essential reading for anyone interested in Diana Wynne Jones's work, fantasy, or creative writing. With a foreword by Neil Gaiman, introduction and interview by Charlie Butler, bibliography, and index.” “Various threads run through this collection, but by far the strongest is that of the need for fantasy in all its many facets and its value for children and adults alike. It is my hope that some of these items will be of use to people.”—Diana Wynne Jones. “Her writings assembled in one place tell us how she thought about literature and the reasons for literature, about the place of children's fiction in the world, about the circumstances that shaped her and her own understanding and vision of who she was and what she did. It is ferociously intelligent, astonishingly readable, and as with so much that Diana Wynne Jones did, she makes each thing she writes, each explanation for why the world is as it is, look so easy.”—Neil Gaiman”—Provided by publisher. Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-0-06-221989-3 (hardback) 1. Jones, Diana Wynne—Authorship. 2. Children's stories—Authorship. 3. Fantasy fiction—Authorship. I. Title. PR6060.O497Z46 2012 823'.914—dc23 [B] 2012018080

 

EPub Edition © AUGUST 2012 ISBN: 9780062219909

 

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FIRST EDITION