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Dream Angus: The Celtic God of Dreams (Myths)

by Alexander McCall Smith

Dream Angus: The Celtic God of Dreams (Myths) Cover

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

From the beloved, bestselling author of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series comes a delightful addition to the Myths series. Dream Angus is one of the earliest of the Celtic deities, and one of the most beloved. Angus comes bounding over the heather with his bag of dreams to dispense to those who want them. He is lithe of foot and beautiful — as befits one who is also the Celtic Eros, the god of love, youth and beauty. Angus is a playful trickster, given to frightening people and cattle. He will reveal to you in a dream your true love, if asked, and if in the mood. He is a romantic, and one of the main stories associated with him is his search for the young woman who had appeared to him in his dreams. Eventually he finds her, but she is under a spell which makes her assume the shape of a bird for a year. Angus changes himself into a swan and the two lovers fly off together. In McCall Smith's inimitable retelling of the myth, the setting is twentieth century Scotland. Angus is a psychotherapist who helps people understand their dreams, but there are limits to what he can reveal. Mesmerically weaving the modern day with the tales of the Celtic god, Alexander McCall Smith unites dream and reality, leaving us to wonder: what is life, but the pursuit of our dreams?

Review:

"The bestselling author of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency novels and the 44 Scotland Street novels has always included one-offs and detours in his oeuvre (including The Criminal Law of Botswana). Here, he turns in an elegant contemporary reworking of the ancient Celtic myth of the dream-giver god, Angus, familiar from Yeats's poetry. Lovely, fair Angus is the son of the terrible club-wielding god, Dagda, who sired the boy by ravishing the lovely water nymph Boann. The young boy who charms birds and inspires marvelous dreams is soon snatched from his mother and raised by Dagda's other son, the grown Midir. After some trials, Angus eventually learns who his true father is and tricks Dagda into relinquishing power. Smith fluidly weaves in contemporary vignettes of the dream god's benevolent influence, touching the lives of honeymooners on a windswept northern island; of a teenage boy sent away to boarding school in Scotland who tricks his mother into revealing who his true father is; and of a Toronto woman bereft at the discovery that her husband is having an affair. Angus, who presides over love and youth is also, it turns out, kindly to pigs. He is nicely reimagined in this spare, polished work." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Review:

"The bestselling author of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency novels and the 44 Scotland Street novels has always included one-offs and detours in his oeuvre (including The Criminal Law of Botswana). Here, he turns in an elegant contemporary reworking of the ancient Celtic myth of the dream-giver god, Angus, familiar from Yeats's poetry. Lovely, fair Angus is the son of the terrible club-wielding god, Dagda, who sired the boy by ravishing the lovely water nymph Boann. The young boy who charms birds and inspires marvelous dreams is soon snatched from his mother and raised by Dagda's other son, the grown Midir. After some trials, Angus eventually learns who his true father is and tricks Dagda into relinquishing power. Smith fluidly weaves in contemporary vignettes of the dream god's benevolent influence, touching the lives of honeymooners on a windswept northern island; of a teenage boy sent away to boarding school in Scotland who tricks his mother into revealing who his true father is; and of a Toronto woman bereft at the discovery that her husband is having an affair. Angus, who presides over love and youth is also, it turns out, kindly to pigs. He is nicely reimagined in this spare, polished work." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Synopsis:

In Alexander McCall Smith's retelling, five different young men named Angus find themselves living the myths of the Celtic deity, Angus — from his search for the girl he loves to his discovery that the man who raised him is not his father. In the hands of one of the great storytellers living today, Dream Angus will charm and mesmerize readers.

Synopsis:

The beloved author of the hugely best-selling No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series joins the growing list of writers in Canongate’s groundbreaking Myths series with an absorbing retelling of a seminal Celtic tale of love, youth, and beauty. Angus is one of the earliest Celtic deities and one of the most beloved. He is a trickster and a romantic, a combination of Eros and Apollo, with four birds fluttering about his head, each of which is a kiss. He has the power to reveal to you in a dream your true love, if asked, and if in the mood. In McCall Smith’s magical new vision of the ancient tales, five different young men named Angus find themselves living the myths of their namesake, from his search for the girl he loves to his discovery that the man who raised him is not his father. In the hands of one of the great storytellers living today, Dream Angus will charm and mesmerize readers.

About the Author

Alexander McCall Smith has written more than fifty books, including the bestselling No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency mysteries, The Sunday Philosophy Club series, and many children's stories. A professor of medical law at Edinburgh University, he was born in what is now Zimbabwe and currently lives in Scotland.

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
Carol Willey, January 10, 2007 (view all comments by Carol Willey)
This charming book holds many delights as it shifts from legendary Angus of Celtic lore to tales of Angus as the bearer of love and dreams in the lives of modern people. At times the narrative strategy reminded me of the episodic rhythms of the old TV series, The Twilight Zone. McCall Smith's contrast, for example, of the ancient Celtic legends of people turned into swine with the cleverly invented tale of a modern genetically engineered pig was both horrifying and hillariously satiric. There are tender touches too in stories of love, hurt and longing. Finding this book was a lovely surprise and reading it was a wonderful way to begin the new year. I believe it did bring me a dream. I've purchased another copy to give to a friend who studies dreams. This is a potential cult classic for Jungians.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9781841958231
Subtitle:
The Celtic God of Dreams
Author:
McCall Smith, Alexander
Author:
Smith, Alexander McCall
Author:
Smith, Alexander McCall
Publisher:
Canongate Books
Subject:
Literary
Subject:
Folklore
Subject:
Fairy Tales, Folklore & Mythology
Subject:
Psychotherapists
Subject:
Dream interpretation
Series:
Myths
Publication Date:
October 2006
Binding:
Hardcover
Language:
English
Pages:
173
Dimensions:
8.12x5.18x.73 in. .64 lbs.

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