News
The Night Circus received a 2012 Alex Award, honoring books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults.
Night Circus will be available as a Spanish Nook book on February 21, 2012.
Read Erin’s interview with Circus Girl Magazine:
CGM: What was your inspiration behind the black, white and red color scheme of the circus?
EM: I really just liked the idea and look of it. I knew I wanted the circus to be nocturnal and unique and really just wanted to make it elegant and different. I wanted it to be striking and visually captivating and I thought that I could achieve that with that color scheme.
Read more: http://circusgirlmagazine.com/erin-morgenstern-2211
Night Circus picked as having one of the best covers of the year.
Read more: http://www.bookpage.com/the-book-case/2011/12/20/25best-book-jackets-of-2011/
Read Erin’s interview with goodreads:
GR: Do you have a personal favorite of the tents?
EM: I do. My favorite tent is the Labyrinth for two reasons. One, it was the space that, as I was creating it, I most wanted to explore myself, never knowing what the next door would lead to. Also, I created it as a space before it had its meaning in the story, and now I love it even more, because it is the one collaborative tent [crafted by both Celia and Marco]. Erin speaks with goodreads here:
Hear Erin talk to the Guardian about writing:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/audio/2011/oct/14/first-books-morgenstern-watson-podcast
See more photos from Erin’s event at Lemuria Books here:
http://blog.lemuriabooks.com/2011/10/the-night-circus-goes-on/
Erin at Rainy Day Books
A shot from Erin’s “red chair” moment with George Stroumboulopoulos
The Globe & Mail discusses the way in which literary magic, including The Night Circus, is ‘entrancing the masses’:
Photos from Erin’s reading at the Staircase in Toronto on Sept. 28, 2011:
http://www.notmytypewriter.com/2011/09/erin-morgenstern-and-brian-francis-at.html
Hear Erin read from Night Circus during her Booksmith event:
http://inoneeyeouttheother.
See a clip of Erin on Canadian TV:
http://www.cbc.ca/strombo/books/erin-morgenstern-on-harry-potter.html
Hear Erin talk about her passion for the visual and literary arts:
http://www.bookbrowse.com/author_interviews/full/index.cfm/author_number/2060/erin-morgenstern
Morgenstern’s magical rise to stardom set the tone at the growing Salem festival, as an eclectic group of authors, readers, locals and out-of-towners gathered Saturday night, mostly dressed in black
Read more: http://www.nsartthrob.com/2011/09/salem-lit-fest-a-seat-at-the-table-of-erin-morgenstern/
A group of reveurs in Lexington, KY managed to get some pictures of the traveling magical circus.
The Night Circus was met by a lovely group of reveurs at Warwick’s Bookstore in La Jolla, California.
Read Erin’s playlist for The Night Circus here: http://www.largeheartedboy.com/blog/archive/2011/09/book_notes_erin_1.html
And enjoy a few Q&As with Erin
Q. How would you summarize your book in one sentence?
A. I would use a vaguely incoherent run-on sentence. It would involve the words “circus,” “nocturnal,” “Victorian,” “magicians,” “black,” “white,” “love,” & “choices” and also the phrase “shades of grey.” It likely wouldn’t do the book as a whole justice, though.
Read more: http://www.50plus.com/entertainment/20-writerly-questions-for…-erin-morgenstern/133547/
Q. Is magic real?
A. Of course it is. This is a silly question. Real magic simply isn’t as easily contained as a rabbit in a hat.
Read more: http://www.booktrust.org.uk/show/feature/Home/Erin-Morgenstern-interview
Q. Literary/fantasy hybrids, from Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell to The Magicians, are hotter than ever. To what extent were you aware of genre as you were writing?
A. I wasn’t even convinced it was a novel for a while so genre wasn’t something I thought about too much. I was mildly concerned that it was too literary to be fantasy and too fantasy to be literary—I hadn’t even considered hybrid territory an option—so I wrote the story the way it wanted to be told and figured I could worry about categorizing it when I was done.
Read more: http://bookpage.com/interview/a-three-ring-debut
Q. It’s easy for a reader to spot possible influences from Nights at the Circus to Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell to Carter Beats the Devil to The Time Traveler’s Wife. Did you feel consciously or unconsciously influenced by any particular books or writers?
A. I think I take flavors from almost everything I read, and I know there are a multitude of authors who have shaped me as a writer, so I think there are likely a slew of unconscious influences. I think there was a conscious Shakespearean influence along with some intentional nods to Dickens and Roald Dahl. I also took some stylistic inspiration from one of my very favorite books, Einstein’s Dreams by Alan Lightman, with its wonderful vignettes.
Read more: http://www.foyles.co.uk/Public/Biblio/AuthorDetails.aspx?authorId=85337
Q. Your novel’s been described as a fairy tale of sorts, and on your website, you list fairy tales as a major source of creative inspiration. What defines a fairy tale for you?
A. Oh, people ask me that and I tell them I don’t really have a good, specific answer. I think there’s something in that “once-upon-a-time” quality, where it has a really strong sense of story, and seems sort of timeless. I think with my writing in particular, I like the quality of those really graphic, pre-Disney fairy tales, dark and bloody, grim stuff that’s gotten a little polished over time – the old school fairy tale stuff.
Read more: http://blog.bookpassage.com/2011/09/interview-with-erin-morgenstern-author.html
Q. If the Night Circus were the first move in a contest made by your opponent what sort of book would you respond with?
A. I am finding myself with a similar conundrum in approaching my next novel, only that involves competing with myself. So I’ll answer with something I am trying to keep in mind while I’m writing: a book that is completely different, but still fantastical.
Read more: http://www.dailybulldog.com/db/arts/words-on-words-an-interview-with-erin-morgenstern/
Listen to Erin talk to Matt Staggs here: http://sf-fantasy.suvudu.com/2011/09/interview-with-erin-morgenstern-author-the-night-circus.html
Listen to Erin talk to Shelfari here: http://blog.shelfari.com/my_weblog/2011/09/erin-morgenstern-talks-about-the-night-circus.html
Watch an interview with Erin here: http://paranormal.suvudu.com/2011/09/event-video-the-night-circus-by-erin-morgenstern.html
Listen to an interview with Erin on the Diane Rehm show here: http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2011-09-22/erin-morgenstern-night-circus
Dear Erin,
I just had to tell you that your book (as if you didn’t know, LOL) is AMAZING! I am listening to the audio by Jim Dale who makes it that much more AMAZING! Your writing is so beautiful, vivid, rich and I can totally picture this Tim Burtonish circus with all these unique, interesting characters!
The way you describe things, I can so see it playing out in my mind like I am dreaming while awake. I have been listening in my car on the to work and I just want to dive into the story like Alice falls into the rabbit hole and be a part of it all! I find myself visualizing your words and saying huh! every few minutes, (like , how did she write that so AMAZING?)
Hope to see many more books……….I have been recommending this book to EVERYONE I know and don’t know LOL! online, at work, anywhere I can talk about it!
Thanks for sharing your wonderful talent through this story!
Your Fan for life!, Gina
Gina you said it all!! I’ve been thinking and feeling the same…
Thank You Erin for an amazing read!
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Started reading The Night Circus on Friday … almost finished with it today, Tuesday. It has been a long time since I was so enchanted by a book. Stunning … just stunning.
In the era of e-books, I want you to know that I am so happy to have this book to keep forever on my bookshelf. It was a mesmerizing and exquisite read – one that I will be re-reading and encouraging others to read. Thank you.
Just finished reading Night Circus and am not sure whether I’m awake or still dreaming. Thanks for a wonderful book. It was like swimming under the surface of a vast luminescent ocean.
Rex
As many readers have commented, I too have just finished reading your book. I must say that it was wonderful. The writing was beautiful, and I felt as though I was in a dream the entire time. Thank you for the experience!
I just finished The Night Circus today. I found when I was reading it that I was so excited and anxious to know how it ended. But when it ended I was sad that I was done with it. It was a truely amazing book. I have to say that I think it is my new favorite book. I already want to read it again. I loved every part of this story. I do not think that I can pick one favorite tent. I would want to see them all. But I think my number one and number two stops would be the Wishing tree and the Ice Garden.
Thank you so much for this piece of work. I can’t wait to re-read it and be pulled back into the magical world with Celia and Marco. I also can’t wait to read your next books.
I loved it. Loved the descriptions, the imagery, and the flow of the book. Thank you for giving me my latest book addiction and a new fancy name for myself- reveur
Oh Erin, I just finished The Night Circus, and I am overwhelmed. This truly is the read of the year, if not the decade for me. I want to loan it to my sister to read, but am not certain I can let it out of my sight. It transports. I started reading it at the ice rink, as my family was skating… I value my ankles too much to skate… And I burst into tears after reading the opening page. My twelve year old skated over to ask what happened to me… And I told her, after one page, this is the best book I have ever experienced… I knew after one page.
Thank you for creating this world in which I got lost… Astonishing, misty, world of longing. If I had a wish on the wishing tree, it would be to borrow your muse for a day ore two.
What a lovely gift. I finished The Night Circus this morning – I have been portioning it out for the past several days, allowing a little time to savor and ponder. The experience was truly mesmerizing, and along with your evocative scents, I caught whiffs of books I have loved in the past, most particularly the transporting books of childhood (E. Nesbit prominent). Much to my delighted surprise, as I finished I was flooded with a mass of disparate memories of magical things – objects, views, sensations, flavors – from my life. My connection is strengthened from reading your wonderful story – I’ll turn 56 in a few days, and I thank you for this early birthday present.
I am still smiling from this wonderful book. Thank you so much!
This is not spam, but my opinion to the book: http://specialsparklecarnival.wordpress.com/2012/02/10/le-cirque-des-reves/
Read it if you are interested.
Please don’t let them compare the Night Circus to Twilight, Harry Potter or any Tim Burton project any more. Those comparisons belie the true elegance of the novel. There is a nuance and sophistication at work that raises the bar. I’d put you in a class with Jean Pierre Juenet, John Bellairs and Edward Gorey. I’m really glad I ignored the hype long enough to read it. Thanks for a tremendous and special experience.
ps. Einstein’s Dreams is also one of my favorites. Good call.
I can echo many of the thoughts above but above all I found The Night Circus to be visually stunning. For a book – without illustrations – to be able to conjure such vivid imagery is an amazing gift.I will add it to my list of imagination affirming experiences. A treasure.