Sylvie and Bruno

Lewis Carroll

Jan 2022 · Graphic Arts Books

About this ebook

Sylvie and Bruno (1889) is a novel by Lewis Carroll. Originally conceived as a pair of short stories published in Aunt Judy’s Magazine in 1867, Sylvie and Bruno eventually became a full length, two-volume novel. Although less popular than his Alice books, the novel remains a powerful example of Carroll’s imaginative range and ability to capture the surreal nature of everyday life. “The Warden, a tall dignified man with a grave but very pleasant face, was seated before a writing-table, which was covered with papers, and holding on his knee one of the sweetest and loveliest little maidens it has ever been my lot to see. She looked four or five years older than Bruno, but she had the same rosy cheeks and sparkling eyes, and the same wealth of curly brown hair.” While traveling by train to a long-overdue doctor’s appointment, a middle-aged historian slips in and out of sleep. Each time, he enters a dream world where fairies and elves go about their lives without noticing his presence. Gradually, he becomes aware of a plot to overthrow the Warden orchestrated by Sub-Warden Sibimet and his wife Tabikat. Tricked into giving the Sub-Warden dictatorial powers, the Warden embarks to serve as Monarch of Fairyland. Soon, a Mad Gardener arrives and directs Sylvie and Bruno to follow him to a bizarre underground lair. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Lewis Carroll’s Sylvie and Bruno is a classic work of English literature reimagined for modern readers.

About the author

Lewis Carroll (1832-1898) was an English children’s writer. Born in Cheshire to a family of prominent Anglican clergymen, Carroll—the pen name of Charles Dodgson—suffered from a stammer and pulmonary issues from a young age. Confined to his home frequently as a boy, he wrote poems and stories to pass the time, finding publication in local and national magazines by the time he was in his early twenties. After graduating from the University of Oxford in 1854, he took a position as a mathematics lecturer at Christ Church, which he would hold for the next three decades. In 1865, he published Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, masterpiece of children’s literature that earned him a reputation as a leading fantasist of the Victorian era. Followed by Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There (1871), Carroll’s creation has influenced generations of readers, both children and adults alike, and has been adapted countless times for theater, film, and television. Carroll is also known for his nonsense poetry, including The Hunting of the Snark (1876) and “Jabberwocky.”