The Fairies Return – Or, New Tales for Old: Oddly Modern Fairy Tales

"Alongside some sharp social satire, there is much to enjoy in this long-forgotten work, which offers a window into 1930s Britain, rather than a vista into fairyland. Maria Tatar's informative introduction is full of insights."--Neil Philip, author of The Illustrated Book of Myths

"These classic fairy tales, extensively modernized by some of the best-known British writers of the 1930s, are brilliantly presented and interpreted by the gifted scholar Maria Tatar."--Alison Lurie, Frederic J. Whiton Professor of American Literature Emerita, Cornell University

"This fascinating collection of classic fairy tales, rewritten in the 1930s by masters such as A. E. Coppard and Lord Dunsany, is sometimes comic, sometimes poignant, but always satirical. The magisterial introduction by Maria Tatar includes discussion of the tragic figure of the original editor, Peter Davies, aka 'Peter Pan, ' one of the ''Lost Boys' befriended by J. M. Barrie in Kensington Gardens."--William Gray, director of the Sussex Centre for Folklore, Fairy Tales and Fantasy, University of Chichester

"When first published in 1934, the marvelously hybrid, often subversive stories of The Fairies Return awarded jarringly fresh meaning to the age-old potential of fairy tales to investigate the here and now. Eighty years later, the shady corporate dealers, corrupt politicians, drug and sex fiends, and children of nature that populate the collection are still with us, making the tales just as engaging today as they were then."--Nancy L. Canepa, Dartmouth College

"A real treat of a book. The stories collected here offer sophisticated versions of well-known fairy tales, full of sly wit and satirical intent, and Maria Tatar's illuminating introduction makes a strong case for the importance of the volume in the history of the fairy tale in the twentieth century. A worthy addition to Jack Zipes's excellent Oddly Modern Fairy Tales series."--Stephen Benson, University of East Anglia

"This is a welcome new edition of a collection that updated and breathed new life into the fairy tale."--Cristina Bacchilega, author of Postmodern Fairy Tales