Joseph Jorkens facts for kids

Joseph Jorkens (often called just Jorkens) is the main character in more than 150 short stories. These stories were written between 1925 and 1957 by Lord Dunsany. He was an Irish author famous for his fantasy tales, plays, and other writings. The Jorkens stories are mostly fantasy, but they also have parts of adventure, mystery, and science fiction. These stories have been collected into six books. They were a big inspiration for a type of short story called the "fantastic club tale."

How Jorkens Was Created

His Beginning

Lord Dunsany wrote about creating Mr. Jorkens in his book While the Sirens Slept. He said he first wrote about Jorkens on March 29 and 30, 1925. This was for a story called "The Tale of the Abu Laheeb." Dunsany had been asked to write about his real-life travels. But he didn't want to. So, he invented Jorkens instead. Jorkens was an old man who would tell amazing travel stories. He would share these tales whenever he could get a drink at a club.

"The Tale of the Abu Laheeb" was the very first Jorkens story. It was published in July 1926 in a magazine called The Atlantic Monthly.

Growing Popularity

For the next 32 years, Dunsany kept writing about Mr. Jorkens. The stories became very popular and sold well. Many were first printed in magazines like Atlantic Monthly, Saturday Evening Post, and The Strand. They also appeared in newspapers such as The Daily Mail. Later, they were collected into books. Some Jorkens stories were even read on the radio.

In total, 154 Jorkens stories are in the collected edition. Some stories had different titles when they first appeared in magazines. Lord Dunsany preferred the book titles. He did not like changes to his stories. The last two Jorkens stories were written in 1957. Lord Dunsany passed away in October of that year.

Story Style and Places

The Jorkens stories usually take place in a gentlemen's club in London. The narrator, who is invited to the club, becomes a member. Jorkens often sits there. When someone else tries to tell a story, Jorkens tells an even better one. He usually does this in exchange for a drink. The stories often have a twist at the end. Jorkens might seem to do something amazing or get rich. But he often misses out in the end. Even though they are lighthearted, the stories sometimes touch on bigger ideas.

The tales happen in many different places. These include the UK, Ireland, parts of Africa, and India. Some early stories are quite long. Most of the later ones are shorter, sometimes just a few pages. A character named Terbut often challenges Jorkens, making him tell more stories. The narrator, who is like Dunsany himself, usually believes Jorkens.

Club Tales

Lord Dunsany's Jorkens stories helped create a new type of story. This is called the "fantastic tall club tale" or "bar tale." These stories are like the old "tall tale" stories, such as those about Baron Munchausen. The idea of telling stories in a club was not new. But adding fantasy to these tales was a fresh idea.

This new style inspired many later writers. Examples include Tales from Gavagan's Bar and Tales from the White Hart. Other famous examples are Isaac Asimov's Black Widowers mysteries and Spider Robinson's Callahan's Place. Even animated cartoons like "The World of Commander McBragg" use this idea.

Typically, a club tale features a storyteller known for amazing memories. He tells stories about his life to club members who don't believe him at first. By the end, the members usually believe the tale. They also feel it was worth hearing. This story style can be used for science fiction, mystery, and fantasy.

Illustrations

Jorkens was drawn many times. These pictures appeared in magazines, newspapers, and inside the collected books. The drawings looked quite different from one another. Some of the most famous pictures were made by Sidney Sime. These were unusual for Sime because they were in color. You can still see the original drawings for the first three Jorkens stories at Dunsany Castle.

Jorkens Books

Here are the books of Jorkens stories. Five were published while the author was alive. The sixth came out in 2002.

Original collections:

• The Travel Tales of Mr. Joseph Jorkens (1931)
• Jorkens Remembers Africa (1934)
• Jorkens Has a Large Whiskey (1940)
• The Fourth Book of Jorkens (1947)
• Jorkens Borrows Another Whiskey (1954)
• The Last Book of Jorkens (2002)

Collected editions (Omnibus collections):

• The Collected Jorkens, Volume One (2004)
• The Collected Jorkens, Volume Two (2004), which includes one story not in the original collections.
• The Collected Jorkens, Volume Three (2005), which includes two stories not in the original collections. One of these was among the last stories Lord Dunsany ever wrote.