 First edition (publ. Longman) | |
| Author | H. Rider Haggard |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Longmans & Co. |
Publication date | 1891 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Pages | 302 |
Eric Brighteyes is an epic Viking novel by H. Rider Haggard that concerns the adventures of its eponymous principal character in 10th-century Iceland. The novel was first published in 1891 by Longmans, Green & Company. It was illustrated by Lancelot Speed.
Eric Thorgrimursson, nicknamed "Brighteyes" for his most notable trait, strives to win the hand of his beloved, Gudruda the Fair. Her father Asmund, a priest of the old Norse gods, opposes the match, believing Eric to be a man without prospects. Deadlier by far are the intrigues of Swanhild, Gudruda's half-sister and a sorceress, who desires Eric for herself. She persuades the chieftain Ospakar Blacktooth to woo Gudruda, making the two men enemies. Battles, intrigues, and treachery follow.
Haggard wrote the book in late 1888, following a visit to Iceland. [1]
The novel was an early example (and Haggard's introduction implies that it was the first) of modern efforts in English at pastiching saga literature. It clearly shows the influence of the pioneering saga translations by William Morris and Eirikr Magnusson in the late 1860s.
Science fiction historian David Pringle has stated that Eric Brighteyes, with its outcast hero and emphasis on violent conflict, "in many ways resembles a Sword & Sorcery epic before its time". [2]
Anthony Boucher and J. Francis McComas praised Eric Brighteyes, saying that "nothing has been written in English that matches this complete comprehension of the blend of the fury and mysticism that was that greatest of anomalies, the Viking." [3] Pamela Cleaver described Eric Brighteyes as the best of Haggard's historical novels. She stated that "there is a wonderful atmosphere with saga overtones in this doom-laden tale." [4]
John Scarborough included Eric Brighteyes on a list of what he regarded as Haggard's best novels, along with King Solomon's Mines , She , Cleopatra , Nada the Lily , and Red Eve . [5]
In The Stanley Kubrick Archive Oral History Project Web Video Series "Finding and Developing the Story", Kubrick's eldest daughter Katharina mentions the book as one that "he was particularly interested in". Anthony Frewin states the book was "very, very dear to him" and claims that, "had he lived, I'm sure he would have done it" as a film. [6]
The novel was republished by the Newcastle Publishing Company under the title The Saga of Eric Brighteyes as the second volume of the Newcastle Forgotten Fantasy Library series in March 1974, and first issued as a mass market paperback by Zebra Books in 1978. [7]
A sequel, Eric Brighteyes #2: A Witch's Welcome, written by Sigfriour Skaldaspillir (the pseudonym of Mildred Downey Broxon) was published in 1979. [8]
Fantasy comedy or comic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that is primarily humorous in intent and tone. Typically set in imaginary worlds, fantasy comedy often involves puns on, and parodies of, other works of fantasy.
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Sword and sorcery (S&S), or heroic fantasy, is a subgenre of fantasy characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent adventures. Elements of romance, magic, and the supernatural are also often present. Unlike works of high fantasy, the tales, though dramatic, focus on personal battles rather than world-endangering matters. The genre originated from the early-1930s works of Robert E. Howard. While there is a chance example from 1953, Fritz Leiber re-coined the term "sword and sorcery" in the 6 April 1961 issue of the fantasy fanzine Ancalagon, to describe Howard and the stories that were influenced by his works. In parallel with "sword and sorcery", the term "heroic fantasy" is used, although it is a more loosely defined genre.
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Eric Rücker Eddison, CB, CMG was an English civil servant and author, writing epic fantasy novels under the name E. R. Eddison. His best-known works include The Worm Ouroboros (1922) and the Zimiamvian Trilogy (1935–1958).
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The Newcastle Forgotten Fantasy Library was a series of trade paperback books published in the United States by the Newcastle Publishing Company between 1973 and 1980. Presumably under the inspiration of the earlier example set by the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series, the series reissued a number of works of fantasy literature that had largely been forgotten, being out of print or otherwise not easily available in the United States, in durable, illustrated trade paperback form with new introductions. For a number of works the Library’s editions constituted the first U.S. or first paperback edition. Together with the earlier series from Ballantine Books, it contributed to the renaissance of interest in the fantasy genre of the 1970s.
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Eric Brighteyes public domain audiobook at LibriVox 