A Syrup Of The Bees

by Francis William Bain (Translator)

Francis William Bain (1863-1940) was a British writer of fantasy stories that he claimed were translated from Sanskrit. The first of these was A Digit of the Moon (1898), which he claimed was his translation of the eighth part of sixteen of a Sanskrit manuscript given to him by a brahmin. During his life, argument raged about whether the story was truly a translation or whether Bain had written it himself. Bain was for a number of years a fellow of All Souls College at Oxford, and then a professor of History in the Deccan College of Pune, in British India, until his retirement in 1919. His other works include: Christina of Sweden (1890), The English Monarchy (1893), Body and Soul (1894), A Heifer of the Dawn (1904), Essence of the Dusk (1906), A Syrup of the Bees (1914), The Livery of Eve (1917) and The Substance of a Dream (1917).

172 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2008

Reviews

[dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

overly long at times, but i think that was due to the prose, which was beautiful, so it was worth it. definitely a sadder story than i anticipated, but good.

[Mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was orientalist fantasy but still very enjoyable. Perhaps because it was so different to Tolkein traditional western stories. It was more like Dunsany or William Morris. Definitely one of his better stories.

[Fatima Sarder · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tragic romance, oriental fantasy written in a lyrical, fantastical way. The plot is nothing new, a love thwarted by the titular couple, each yearning for different things. The sequences flowed well and the prose was beautiful and enjoyable.

[Emmy]

Very wordy in a way that makes it hard to comprehend. Wasn't really enjoying it, so I stopped reading.