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The Bird of the Golden Land
"Once upon a time, and a long time ago it was too, there used to be a hole in the middle of Ireland." The King of Ireland's three sons set off on a quest for the bird of the Golden Land; as in all fairy tales, the elder brothers, Prince Red Boots and Prince Black Boots, leave the work to the youngest and then attempt to cheat Prince Barefoot out of his reward.
- GenresChildrens
96 pages, Hardcover
First published October 13, 1980
1 person is currently reading
31 people want to read
About the author
Robert Nye
72 books48 followersRobert Nye was an English writer, playwright and poet.
Nye started writing stories for children to entertain his three young sons. Nye published his first adult novel, Doubtfire, in 1967.
Nye's next publication after Doubtfire was a return to children's literature, a freewheeling version of Beowulf which has remained in print in many editions since 1968. In 1970, he published another children's book, Wishing Gold, and received the James Kennaway Memorial Award for his collection of short stories, Tales I Told My Mother (1969).
During the early 1970s Nye wrote several plays for BBC radio including “A Bloody Stupit Hole” (1970), “Reynolds, Reynolds” (1971), and a version of Penthesilea by Heinrich von Kleist (1971). He was also commissioned by Covent Garden to write an unpublished libretto for Harrison Birtwistle's opera, Kronia (1970). Nye held the position of writer in residence at the University of Edinburgh, 1976-1977, during which time he received the Guardian fiction prize, followed by the 1976 Hawthornden Prize for his novel Falstaff.
He continued to write poetry, publishing Darker Ends (1969) and Divisions on a Ground (1976), and to prepare editions of other poets with whose work he felt an affinity: Sir Walter Ralegh, William Barnes, and Laura Riding. His own Collected Poems appeared in 1995. His selected poems, entitled The Rain and The Glass, published in 2005, won the Cholmondeley Award. From 1977 he lived in County Cork, Ireland. Although his novels have won prizes and been translated into many languages, it is as a poet that he would probably have preferred to be remembered. The critic Gabriel Josipovici described him as "one of the most interesting poets writing today, with a voice unlike that of any of his contemporaries."
Nye started writing stories for children to entertain his three young sons. Nye published his first adult novel, Doubtfire, in 1967.
Nye's next publication after Doubtfire was a return to children's literature, a freewheeling version of Beowulf which has remained in print in many editions since 1968. In 1970, he published another children's book, Wishing Gold, and received the James Kennaway Memorial Award for his collection of short stories, Tales I Told My Mother (1969).
During the early 1970s Nye wrote several plays for BBC radio including “A Bloody Stupit Hole” (1970), “Reynolds, Reynolds” (1971), and a version of Penthesilea by Heinrich von Kleist (1971). He was also commissioned by Covent Garden to write an unpublished libretto for Harrison Birtwistle's opera, Kronia (1970). Nye held the position of writer in residence at the University of Edinburgh, 1976-1977, during which time he received the Guardian fiction prize, followed by the 1976 Hawthornden Prize for his novel Falstaff.
He continued to write poetry, publishing Darker Ends (1969) and Divisions on a Ground (1976), and to prepare editions of other poets with whose work he felt an affinity: Sir Walter Ralegh, William Barnes, and Laura Riding. His own Collected Poems appeared in 1995. His selected poems, entitled The Rain and The Glass, published in 2005, won the Cholmondeley Award. From 1977 he lived in County Cork, Ireland. Although his novels have won prizes and been translated into many languages, it is as a poet that he would probably have preferred to be remembered. The critic Gabriel Josipovici described him as "one of the most interesting poets writing today, with a voice unlike that of any of his contemporaries."
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 28, 2020
Upbeat story about a timorous young Irish prince and his quest to find the Bird of the Golden Land. Some family drama included.
August 12, 2016
I was crazy about this when I was younger! Now though, my memories are so vague... the 'clearest' being the antagonist hiding in a spoon, and popping out with a sore head when the spoon was broken in order to 'find' him!
Re-read January 2016! Because we're doing a big clear out and I don't need to keep ALL my childhood books. This was still wonderfully enjoyable, and I especially loved the witty narration - there were a couple of remarks that probably went over my head as a kid, but that made me giggle now. Turns out the antagonist in the spoon that I vaguely recalled was the king of the golden land, who was setting difficult tasks for Prince Barefoot, who was on a quest to bring the bird of the golden land back to his father. The king hid three times (in an apple, a spoon, and an egg) and then the prince also hid three times - the mare turned him into a flea, a bee, and one of her eyelashes.
Re-read January 2016! Because we're doing a big clear out and I don't need to keep ALL my childhood books. This was still wonderfully enjoyable, and I especially loved the witty narration - there were a couple of remarks that probably went over my head as a kid, but that made me giggle now. Turns out the antagonist in the spoon that I vaguely recalled was the king of the golden land, who was setting difficult tasks for Prince Barefoot, who was on a quest to bring the bird of the golden land back to his father. The king hid three times (in an apple, a spoon, and an egg) and then the prince also hid three times - the mare turned him into a flea, a bee, and one of her eyelashes.
April 15, 2025
This was one of my favorite books growing up. It’s a truly heartwarming story that follows a young man’s journey in search of a mythical golden bird said to live in a distant land. Along the way, he faces both physical and emotional trials, and as I’ve come to realize as an adult, the tale is as much about personal growth as it is about the quest itself.
October 10, 2018
i want to read the story
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews