Tanya Farrelly Unveils New Short Story Collection, Embracing Fantasy

Tanya Farrelly has released her latest short story collection, titled The Marionette and the Maestro, marking her fifth book and third collaboration with Arlen House. This collection, which celebrates the publisher’s 50th anniversary, shifts away from the contemporary themes of her earlier works, When Black Dogs Sing and Nobody Needs to Know, to explore the realm of fantasy.

The stories in this collection are set between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, unfolding across 11 European cities, including Prague, Vienna, and St. Petersburg. The diverse cast of characters features a toymaker, an embalmer, a puppeteer, and a composer, engaging in plots filled with trickery, murder, and magic. Farrelly describes her inspiration as a desire to write the stories she has always wanted to read, diverging from the realism present in her previous crime novels set in Dublin.

Farrelly’s passion for gothic literature and magical realism heavily influenced her writing. She cites several of her favourite books, including Perfume by Patrick Süskind and The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter, as inspirations for her storytelling approach. The author acknowledges a significant change in her writing process for this collection. Instead of her usual organic approach, she undertook preparatory work, compiling lists of potential settings, character occupations, and elements that would create the fairy-tale atmosphere she aimed to capture.

Immersive Settings and Imagination

Farrelly’s research included visits to nine of the 11 locations featured in her stories, with her experiences providing vivid imagery to enhance her narratives. One notable story, Charlie Boy, is set in Bruges, a city that left a lasting impression on her during a visit with her husband. The enchanting scenery, characterized by winter fog and illuminated chocolateries, became a backdrop for her creative exploration.

The titular story, The Marionette, draws inspiration from a visit to the National Marionette Theatre in Prague, where Farrelly experienced a performance of Don Giovanni. The protagonist of this tale is a wood carver who creates a marionette resembling a woman he once adored and aspires to write an opera featuring her.

Another significant influence came from the Catacombe dei Cappuccini di Palermo, which inspired her story The Embalmer. This indoor cemetery, housing over 8,000 mummified corpses, provided an eerie but fascinating backdrop for her character, named after the historical embalmer Alfredo Salafia.

Through her collection, Farrelly aims to transport readers to a time of opulence and intrigue at the turn of the last century. She expresses a desire for the stories to offer some levity, noting that while some tales may lean towards the dark, others incorporate elements of humour.

Launch Events and Future Prospects

The Marionette and the Maestro will be officially launched in Dublin on October 21, 2025, at 18:00 in The Teachers’ Club, located on Parnell Square. A subsequent launch will take place in Galway on October 26, 2025, at 18:00 in Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop. The events will feature a double launch alongside writer Geraldine Mills, who will present her new collection, Survival Games, also published by Arlen House.

Farrelly hopes that readers will find joy in exploring the fantastical landscapes she has created, encouraging them to lose themselves in the rich, imaginative world of her stories. As she reflects on her journey in writing this collection, she hints at the possibility of a second volume, suggesting her exploration of these enchanting tales may not yet be complete.