George MacDonald - was a Scottish author poet and Christian minister Though no longer well known his works particularly his fairy tales and fantasy novels have inspired admiration in such notables as W H Auden J R R Tolkien and Madeleine LEngle C S Lewis wrote that he regarded MacDonald as his master Even Mark Twain who initially detested MacDonald became friends with him and there is some evidence that Twain was influenced by MacDonald His bestknown works are Phantastes At the Back of the North Wind The Princess and the Goblin The Lost Princess Thomas Wingfold Curate The Marquis of Lossie and Sir Gibbie He also published some volumes of sermons the pulpit not having proved an unreservedly successful venue
