The Mermaid and the Simpleton

These fifteen original stories are cast in the enchanted mode of fairy tales but not necessarily in their redemptive mood. Several end sadly ever after, others rather wistfully, and still others unresolvedly; and one in particular, “Little Lady Margaret,” bears a strangely gothic touch—she weaves her image into a tapestry and when in trouble takes permanent refuge there. That wise horse named “Heart of the Wind” guides a pair of forbidden lovers to safety in a land of peace and equality. . . death; and “The Ivory Box” offers similar solace to an errant young merchant of means. 


Goodness is more conventionally rewarded for this genre in the title story where a simpleton rescues an exhibited mermaid and she in turn rescues him from imprisonment, as well as in the pleasingly modest case of a village man who uses his well-earned “Three Wishes” to help three unfortunates and is granted fulfilment of his dreams besides. Humor graces the group only sparingly, the prose is undecorated, the morals implicit; the conceptions are imaginative, if evaporative, and for all their gossamer femininity not glib or tame. KIRKUS REVIEW


About the Author

Barbara Leonie Picard was born in England in 1917, and lived in Sussex from the age of three, except during her schooling at St. Katharine’s School in Berkshire. She decided, while she was at school, that one day she would write—but it was not until 1945 that she made any serious attempt to do so. Then she started to write imaginative stories of the type she had enjoyed as a child, and in 1947, she had a story broadcast on Children’s Hour. This was followed by many others, some of which were afterwards published in anthologies and annuals. Her first book was published in 1949.

Besides medieval and ancient history, Miss Picard numbered among her wide interests embroidery, collecting Japanese prints and complete recordings of grand opera, archaeology, languages, mythology, comparative religion, and folk culture. She died December 15th, 2011.