As a teller of fanciful tales, he is unequalled."
Born on December 10, 1824, in Huntly, Aberdeenshire, in northern Scotland, MacDonald brought much from his own background into his writings. He grew up in a rural, hilly area near a ruined castle and a large manor house, surroundings that helped inspire the castles and landscapes of his stories. In the absence of his mother, who died when he was a child, his loving grandmother was a strong influence on him; she was the model for wise women who later appeared in his stories. MacDonald's reading also contributed to his writings. Reviewers have noted that books by German and English romantic writers, which he read during his college years, had a profound impact on him. Among MacDonald's most important influences were Friedrich de la Motte Fouque, whose Undine was MacDonald's favorite fairy tale, E. T. A. Hoffmann, and Friedrich von Hardenberg, known by the pseudonym Novalis.
Early Career in the Church
Christian faith also played a major role in MacDonald's life and writings. During the early 1850s he expressed his spirituality as a Congregational pastor, but he lost his position because of his unconventional views.
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