The School in Carmarthen

The School in Carmarthen (Школа в Кармартене) is a Magic Realism novel by Russian linguist Anna Korosteleva released in 2006. In it, a Wizarding School exists in rural Wales, teaching its students Celtic history of the British Isles, magical poetry, alchemy, multiple languages of varying degrees of deadness including animal languages, and cultural knowledge from all around the world. The plot… isn't really there as a unified central line; instead, smaller parable-like arcs involving different sets of characters all coexist and intertwine into a cohesive whole. The book is filled to the brim with references to Celtic Mythology and lore, as well as nods to Chinese, Greek, Roman and Scandinavian cultures.

The novel, like Korosteleva's other literary works, has been posted publicly online (Russian only) and the author refuses any book deals from publishing houses, although doesn't mind small printed editions made by fans.


 * Absent-Minded Professor: Merlin himself.
 * Adaptational Heroism:, but in this book he is given a more sympathetic "I did what I had to do" motive and is full of remorse.
 * Artistic License Geography: The real city of Carmarthen is nowhere near the river Usk. However, the mythical Caerfyrddin, home of Merlin, was said to be there.
 * Brave Scot: Fingall McColm is forthright to a fault and it takes a lot to unsettle him.
 * Celtic Mythology
 * Cool Teacher: Everyone, pretty much, but especially Eoin Mac Cárthaigh, Kerwin Quirt, Dian Mac Cécht and Tarquin Snake.
 * Dark And Troubled Past: Two mystery plotlines concern Snake's and Mac Cécht's past deeds.
 * Ditzy Genius: Merlin Ambrosius is an old cranky oddball, but his advice is sometimes indispensable.
 * Friend to All Living Things: Gwydion ap Cleddyf. An unusual inversion exists in Tarquin Snake, who is a friend to all non-living things: fire, metals, ancient organic compounds and others.
 * Geas: Dian Mac Cécht must let his hair down while operating and never cut it.
 * Genius Bonus: This book contains traces of… let's see… Irish, Scottish and Welsh literature, history and mythology, Chinese culture and philosophy, Greco-Roman philosophy, Germanic mythology and a looooot more.
 * Gentle Giant: Liutgard is sweet, polite and a literal stone giantess.
 * Good All Along
 * Good Is Not Nice: Snake is harsh and unapologetic, but knows what he's doing.
 * The Gump: Some students of Practical Applications attempt to change events of the past. One of them tries to stop the Battle of Hastings by talking down both armies at once, accidentally inventing the Old English language in the process.
 * The Hermit: Saint Collen the librarian. Even better: he was a hermit before, but retreated to the school library to get away from all the noise and commotion.
 * The Inspector Is Coming: A running plotline is the imminent arrival of an English ministry inspection and the necessity to masquerade (badly) as a normal boarding school.
 * Kindly Vet: Gwydion came to Merlin's school just to learn how to treat sheep.
 * Land of My Fathers and Their Sheep: The setting.
 * Magical Realism
 * Magnetic Hero: Llewelys ap Cynfarch is the heart of any company.
 * Malaproper: Siegfried Volsung occasionally tries and fails to show off his knowledge of Welsh idioms.
 * The Medic: Dian Mac Cécht, Tarquin Snake and their mutual student Gwydion.
 * Nice Guy: Kerwin Quirt goes above and beyond for his first-year wards.
 * Obstructive Bureaucrat: The English officials looking for an excuse to shut the school down.
 * Public Domain Character: Many of the staff, starting with Merlin himself.
 * Punny Name: The English inspectors.
 * Really Seven Hundred Years Old: Most of the teachers.
 * Rhymes on a Dime: Anyone who gets immersed in Welsh/Greek/Chinese poetic traditions quickly begins speaking in verse.
 * Sapient House: All of the towers of the school have names and distinguishing features, and some of them are almost alive. One, called the Branwen Tower, even moves around the building.
 * Shrinking Violet
 * Creirwy, the youngest student in the school.
 * A building variant is the Branwen Tower, nicknamed the Shy Tower.
 * Shown Their Work
 * Speaks Fluent Animal: Rhiannon teaches this skill, or rather several skills since different animals have different languages.
 * The Stoic: Tarquin Snake never breaks his emotionless facade.
 * Teacher-Student Romance: It's easier to count who hasn't had a crush on Mac Cécht or Rhiannon.
 * The Storyteller: Fintan son of Fíngen teaches Fomorian Lore by sitting down by the fire surrounded by the students and retelling old legends as if they were established fact. He also has spent the last several thousand years collecting Welsh family legends and traditions.
 * Take That: Towards Obstructive Bureaucrats, culturally insensitive researchers, and the English in general.
 * Terrain Sculpting: Cú Roí's specialty. Cerydwen ferch Peblig wants to learn it from him.
 * Tragic Keepsake: in memory of his son.
 * Voluntary Shapeshifting: One of the subjects at the school which Berwin is frighteningly good at. Two of the teachers, Hlodowig Nachtvogel and Eoin Mac Cárthaigh can turn into an owl and a raven respectively.
 * Wizarding School: Combined with an education in culture and history of the land.
 * Write Who You Know: Eoin MacCárthaigh is based on the real Dr. Eoin MacCárthaigh from Trinity College, Dublin, who Anna met while studying there.
 * Wizarding School: Combined with an education in culture and history of the land.
 * Write Who You Know: Eoin MacCárthaigh is based on the real Dr. Eoin MacCárthaigh from Trinity College, Dublin, who Anna met while studying there.