A Prisoner In Fairyland (The Book that 'Uncle Paul' Wrote)

Algernon Blackwood

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In his earlier novel (audiobook available),The Education of Uncle Paul The Education of Uncle Paul, Algernon alludes to a book Uncle Paul wants to write someday. Well, here it is . . . . .
Successful London businessman, Henry Rogers, retires early intending to use his wealth to support good causes. He sets his confidential private secretary, Minx, to work up some good ideas while Henry goes on a well-deserved holiday to his childhood home, then to visit his cousin in Switzerland. There, in a rural village in the spectacular alps, with his cousin's rambunctious children, he recalls the surreal adventures he experienced as a child, and the power of imagination to soften the harsh realities of life. Interactions with the past, children, rural life, pets, the stars, and poetry provide Algernon a lens for examining human psychology and the roots of creativity, sharing his thoughts on the importance of dreams and fantasy to keep life enjoyable. A fanciful children's book? Mmmm, maybe, but not entirely. Published 1913.
NOTE: Jane Ann and Jinny are the same person.

Translation of the French poem in Chapter 1, provided by Sonia
Thoughts
Oh, those flights of fancy, their scattered flames,
Their red fierceness, or their vermilion agreement!
Like the stars piercing the clouds high up there,
They assembled on the unknown plain;
They rolled in space, like fires,
They ascended the mountain, illuminated the river
And threw their universal and new covering
From sea to sea, over the silent countries.

The world

(Summary by ~ Michele Fry) (15 hr 44 min)

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