The Modern Fairies

Versailles, 1682: a city of the rich, a living fairy-tale, Louis XIV's fever dream. It's a place of opulence, beauty, and power. But strip back the lavish exterior of polite society, and you'll find a dark undercurrent of sexual intrigue and vicious gossip. Nobody is safe here - no matter how highly born they are.

No one knows this better than Madame Marie d'Aulnoy. Each week, a rogue group of intellectuals gather at her Parisian home to debate, flirt and perform Contes de Fées - fairy tales - that challenge the status quo, at a salon that will change the course of literature forever. But while they weave tales of glass slippers, enchanted beasts and long-haired princesses, a wolf is lurking, who threatens to destroy the members of the salon one by one.

Brilliant and bawdy, romantic and provocative, The Modern Fairies is a dazzling novel inspired by real events, about the delights and dangers of storytelling in dark times.

Review

Elegant and decadent, vulgar and clever, enchanting and dark. The love child of Angela Carter and Anaïs Nin - the book I really really needed ― Sarah Perry, author of ENLIGHTENMENT

Compelling ... Vibrant ...The author’s sentences sing on the page with wit and intelligence ... This memorable novel reminds the reader of the enduring power of storytelling to transform and even save lives, then and now ― The New York Times

Funny, filthy, dancingly clever ... A delectable confection of many-layered pleasures. A story of stories, storytellers, and the lurking dangers of fairytales, set against the lavish decadence of 1600s Versailles. I gobbled it all up ― Joanna Quinn, author of THE WHALEBONE THEATRE

Original, fantastical, historical, and unputdownable ― Karen Joy Fowler, Booker Prize-shortlisted author of WE ARE ALL COMPLETELY BESIDE OURSELVES

Pollard evokes the intrigue, sophistication, scandal and danger of 17th-century France in this bawdy, brilliant book, as dark and delicious as the chocolate served at the modern fairies’ salons ― The Irish Times

Pollard [has a] sure touch, seamlessly blending humour and disgust ... a novel with oodles of charm ― John Self, The Times

Lush and gossipy, rich and wonderfully indulgent. The Modern Fairies is wickedly playful yet lingers, with emotional truth, long after reading. A feast of a novel. I dare you to read it! ― Molly Aitken, author of THE ISLAND CHILD

Those in search of a bawdy fairy tale should look no further ― LA Times, Books to Read This Summer

A delightfully raunchy romp ... This magnetic revisionist historical deserves a wide readership ― Publishers Weekly

A captivating work of historical fiction from a poet with an imagination perfect for the job ... Riotous ... Pollard, known for her evocative verse, brings a fresh perspective to age-old myths and legends with her inimitable wit. The prose is as luxurious as the subject matter, with the politics of the day and underlying tensions used to brilliant effect ― Glamour

About the Author

Clare Pollard is an award-winning poet and playwright based in London. She is the author of five poetry collections and the former Editor of the Modern Poetry in Translation magazine. Her first novel, Delphi , was published by Fig Tree in 2022. The Modern Fairies is her second novel.