The Midnight Folk

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In 1958, John Keir Cross wrote a radio adaptation of the book for the BBC. It was broadcast on Children's Hour in five parts during the lead up to Christmas that year. Patricia Hayes played Kay Harker and the narrator was Richard Hurndall. [4]

The Midnight Folk by John Masefield: 9781590172902

John Masefield became Poet Laureate in 1930, a position he held until his death in 1967. His well-known poems include Sea Fever. John Masefield (1878-1967) was born in Herefordshire, England. After being orphaned at an early age, he was sent to sea aboard the school-ship HMS Conway in preparation for a naval career. Masefield’s apprenticeship was disastrous—he was classified as a Distressed British Seaman after a voyage around Cape Horn—and he soon left the ship. Arrangements were then made for him to join another ship in New York. But Masefield had other plans: he deserted ship vowing “to be a writer, come what might.” Kay's toys (known as "the guards") have been taken away from him at the start of the book, apparently because they will remind him of his parents; there is a strong implication that Kay's parents are deceased. The guards play little part in the main narrative but have a critical role in the final recovery of the treasure.Cunning Like a Fox: One of Kay's allies is Rollicum Bitem Lightfoot, a fox who relies on his wits to keep one step ahead of the local gamekeeper. Species Surname: Kay's toys include a dog named Dogg and another named P. Dogg (they're said to be cousins), as well as a bear named G. L. Brown Bear. Many of the wild animals he meets also seem to be named after their species, as Bat, Otter, Water Rat, etc. The Midnight Folk is written as one piece. There are no chapter divisions. Division within the text is obtained by moving from prose to verse or even song in some places. First published in 1927, John Masefield's book was described by The Times as one of 'the greatest children's books ever written.'

The Midnight Folk : Masefield John : Free Download, Borrow The Midnight Folk : Masefield John : Free Download, Borrow

By day Kay Harker is under the eye of his governess, but at night he escapes into a world where good and evil are pitted against each other. A sequel, The Box Of Delights, was published in 1935. The two books also have links, in terms of shared settings and characters, with a series of adventure stories for adults which began with Sard Harker in 1925. The cellar rat is Kay's ally in The Midnight Folk, supplying information in return for raisins, bacon rind and (most appreciated by Rat) a "Naggy" (haggis). In The Box of Delights, the rat has come to hate Kay (because he expects Kay to get a dog), so Abner Brown is able to buy information from him with rum and mouldy cheese. The Midnight Folk introduces readers to Kay Harker, the orphaned boy who is also the hero of John Masefield’s classic Christmas fantasy, The Box of Delights. Kay lives in a vast old country house, and is looked after by an unpleasant duo: the oily and egregious Sir Theopompous and the petulant and punitive Sylvia Daisy Pouncer. In her zeal to educate Kay on the finer points of Latin grammar, Sylvia Daisy has even taken away all of Kay’s toys. Life seems very dull, until out of an old family portrait steps Kay’s great-grandfather, a sea captain, who, if legend is to be believed, made off with a fabulous treasure.

Direct Line to the Author: The "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue includes a couple of lapses into first-person, indicating that the author lives in the neighbourhood where the novel is set and has met (or, in the case of the fox, had his poultry raided by) some of the characters.

The Midnight Folk (Literature) - TV Tropes The Midnight Folk (Literature) - TV Tropes

First illustrated edition. 4to. Blue cloth with gilt lettering and vignette. A good copy, some fading to upper cover and spine, with a small cup mark to upper cover and some light wear to tail of spine. Front joint beginning to split. Illustrated by Rowland Hillier, with pictorial endpapers, six colour plates and lots of line drawings. Haggis Is Horrible: The Rat fondly recalls a time when a haggis was delivered to Kay's family but had gone bad and was thrown away — so he got it all to himself. John Masefield was in his last year as Poet Laureate when I was born in 1966. I remember copying out his poem ‘Cargoes’ in primary school – ‘Quinquireme of Nineveh from distant Ophir . . .’ – and wondering what all these strange, beautiful-sounding words meant as I laboured over my ascenders and descenders. That John Masefield, stiff and distant, seemed already to be from a long-dead past.

The independent-minded quarterly magazine that combines good looks, good writing and a personal approach. Slightly Foxed introduces its readers to books that are no longer new and fashionable but have lasting appeal. Good-humoured, unpretentious and a bit eccentric, it's more like having a well-read friend than a subscription to a literary review. At seventeen Masefield was living as a vagrant in America. He found work as a bar hand but eventually secured employment at a carpet factory. Thinking that journalism might allow him to write for a living, Masefield returned to England in 1897. Abandoned Area: The brewery and stables at Seekings, obsolete in the age of mass-produced beer and motor cars, now slowly falling into ruin.