Marina Warner

Marina Warner is a writer of fiction, criticism and history; her works include novels and short stories as well as studies of art, myths, symbols and fairytales.
“My critical and historical books and essays explore different figures in myth and fairy tale, such as the Virgin Mary and Joan of Arc; more recently I have concentrated on fairy tales, including the Arabian Nights. I also write novels and short stories, often drawing on mythic or other imaginary predecessors to translate them into contemporary significance – to re-vision them.

Stories come from the past but speak to the present, and I have found that I need to write stories as well as deconstruct them and place them in historical contexts, because I myself love reading works of imagination, and I would like to join the conversation with admired predecessors, who range from Apuleius to Virginia Woolf, Italo Calvino, and Angela Carter.”

Recent Diary Entries

Finding the Words – Freedom from Torture fundraiser

24/09/24

On 21st November, from 7pm, at the London Library, Freedom from Torture are putting on a literary festival and fundraiser, Finding the Words. Join for a star-studded literary evening at the London Library featuring readings by distinguished writers and …

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Andrew Carnegie Lecture, 25 September 2024, Edinburgh College of Art

05/09/24

‘Sanctuary: Places of Refuge, Sites of Memory, Grounds of Home’ In this lecture, taking a cue from Alfred Korzybski’s axiom, ‘The map is not the territory’, Marina will explore the interrelations between telling and dwelling in the making of home and c …

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Torrents of Magpies, Spheres of Hope

04/09/24

Marina’s essay on Rikki Ducornet is in the 19 September 2024 issue of the New York Review of Books – have a read of the piece on their website here

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Latest Publications