Sara Maitland is a British writer and academic whose work often displays a tendency towards magic realism. She is recognized for her novels as well as her short stories. Maitland is regarded as a feminist writer and was at the vanguard of the 1970s feminist movement. Religion is another prominent theme in her writing, reflecting her Roman Catholic faith.
A collection of stories on women, from biblical heroines to simple housewives. The story, The Burning Times, is on lesbians in the Middle Ages, Fag Hags: A Field Guide, is on women who go out with gay men, and Siren Song is on some revengeful sirens.
A deeply thoughtful, honest and illuminating memoir about a phenomenon too often neglected in the contemporary world.
Exploring the profound connection between fairy tales and forests, the book delves into how these ancient narratives evoke a range of emotions, from beauty and magic to spookiness and horror. Maitland highlights the interplay between the enchanting landscapes and the secrets they hold, revealing the dual nature of these tales as both gifts and perils. Through this lens, readers are invited to reconsider the cultural significance and psychological depth of fairy tales in relation to their natural settings.
A magical exploration of the ancient landscape of forests and the ancient genre of fairytales, drawing fascinating and surprising connections between the two, by the author of the bestselling A Book Of Silence
A bryologist enters an ancient piece of British woodland to research a rare strain of moss, only to discover an even more exotic specimen; a geologist explains the failures of the feminist movement to her teenage niece in terms of tectonic subduction; two Old Testament newlyweds scheme to make the most of their tightly negotiated dowry by applying 21st-century genetic engineering techniques...Each story in this collection of short fiction fuses together specific pieces of scientific research with an ancient myth or folkloric archetype. In these stories, readers will encounter witches that can outwit botanists, religious soothsayers that read evolutionary biology in feverish dreams, and scientists who fall in love with the birds that they study. A specially written afterword penned by a scientist follows each story, expanding upon the theory within the story, be it quantum mechanics, planetary physics, game theory, or nanotechnology.
This collection features fifteen enchanting fairy tales that explore themes of transformation and empowerment. Readers will encounter a mermaid, embark on an erotic adventure with a mysterious stranger, and follow women who learn to fly and become fairy godmothers. Each story weaves the magic of myth into contemporary women's experiences, highlighting their journeys of self-discovery and liberation.
Sara Maitland asks how we have arrived in a culture that values individualism, personal autonomy, independence and fulfilment higher than ever before in human history but at the same time is terrified of solitude. Delving into history to answer this question, she examines our changing culture through the ages and asks why and how we have periodically praised and then feared the practice of being alone, and those who seek it.
Performing a deft metaphorical evisceration of Sigmund Freud’s classic 1919 essay that delved deeply into the tradition of horror writing, this freshly contemporary collection of literary interpretations reintroduces to the world Freud’s compelling theory of das unheimliche —or, the uncanny. Specifically designed to challenge the creative boundaries of some of the most famed and respected horror writers working today—such as A. S. Byatt, Christopher Priest, Hanif Kureishi, Frank Cottrell Boyce, Matthew Holness, and the indomitable Ramsey Campbell—this anatomically precise experiment encapsulates what the uncanny represents in the 21st century. Masterfully narrated with the benefit of unique perspectives on what exactly it is that goes bump in the night, this chilling modern collective is not only an essential read for fans of horror but also an insightful and intriguing introduction to the greats of the genre at their gruesome best.
Written by the author of "Daughter of Jerusalem", "Virgin Territory" and "A Book of Spells", this is a story about three women - a mother, a daughter and grandaughter - who reach a crisis in their lives on a strange and significant night.
