George MacDonald was a Scottish novelist, poet, and writer of Christian allegories, best remembered for his influential fairy tales.
Initially trained as a congregational minister, he turned to a wider career as a freelance preacher, lecturer, and professional writer, where his imaginative prose and theological vision reached far beyond the pulpit.
MacDonald’s writings move between the mystical, the fantastical, and the devotional, with works such as Phantastes: A Faerie Romance for Men and Women (1858) and Lilith (1895) speaking to adult readers in search of spiritual depth and imaginative escape. His children’s literature, especially The Princess and the Goblin (1872) and its sequel The Princess and Curdie (1873), secured his lasting reputation, blending fairy-tale wonder with moral seriousness.
Deeply influential on later writers, MacDonald has often been called the “founding father of modern fantasy.” His work shaped the imaginations of figures including C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, G.K. Chesterton, and Madeleine L’Engle, who each acknowledged his blend of myth, morality, and mystery. At the heart of his fiction lies a conviction that stories can nurture both faith and imagination, offering truths that logic alone cannot reach.
