At the Back of the North Wind

At the Back of the North Wind is a children's book written by Scottish author George MacDonald. It is a fantasy centered on a boy named Diamond and his adventures with the North Wind. Diamond travels together with the mysterious Lady North Wind through the nights. The book includes the fairy tale Little Daylight, which has been pulled out as an independent work, or separately, added to other collections of his fairy tales.

By : George MacDonald (1824 - 1905)

01 - The Hayloft 02 - The Lawn 03 - Old Diamond 04 - North Wind 05 - The Summer-house 06 - Out in the Storm 07 - The Cathedral 08 - The East Window 09 - How Diamond Got to the Back of the North Wind 10 - At the Back of the North Wind 11 - How Diamond Got Home Again 12 - Who Met Diamond at Sandwich 13 - The Seaside 14 - Old Diamond 15 - The Mews 16 - Diamond Makes a Beginning 17 - Diamond Goes On 18 - The Drunken Cabman 19 - Diamond's Friends 20 - Diamond Learns to Read 21 - Sal's Nanny 22 - Mr. Raymond's Riddle 23 - The Early Bird 24 - Another Early Bird 25 - Diamond's Dream 26 - Diamond Takes a Fare the Wrong Way Right 27 - The Children's Hospital 28 - Little Daylight 29 - Ruby 30 - Nanny's Dream 31 - The North Wind Doth Blow 32 - Diamond and Ruby 33 - The Prospect Brightens 34 - In the Country 35 - I Make Diamond's Acquaintance 36 - Diamond Questions North Wind 37 - Once More 38 - At the Back of the North Wind

The book tells the story of a young boy named Diamond. He is a very sweet little boy who makes joy everywhere he goes. He fights despair and gloom and brings peace to his family. One night, as he is trying to sleep, Diamond repeatedly plugs up a hole in the loft (also his bedroom) wall to stop the wind from blowing in. However, he soon finds out that this is stopping the North Wind from seeing through her window. Diamond befriends her, and North Wind lets him fly with her, taking him on several adventures. Though the North Wind does good deeds and helps people, she also does seemingly terrible things. On one of her assignments, she must sink a ship. Yet everything she does that seems bad leads to something good. The North Wind seems to be a representation of Pain and Death working according to God's will for something good.

In this book, MacDonald touches on many theological and philosophical questions, especially concerning theodicy. Today, it is considered one of his masterpieces. According to MacDonald's son and biographer Greville MacDonald, there are many similarities between Diamond and MacDonald's own son Maurice, who died young. Diamond seems to represent Christ, always trying to help others while not completely belonging to this world.