Nights at the Circus

Nights at the Circus is an adult fantasy novel by British author Angela Carter first published in 1984. It takes place in 1899 and follows protagonist Jack Walser, a journalist investigating the mystery of Sophie Fevvers, a part-woman, part-swan who performs as an aeraliste at the popular Colonel Kearney’s circus. The book was critically acclaimed upon publication and won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Fiction in 1984, as well as a nomination for the British Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 1985. Carter was a well-known British writer in the 20th century; she is known for her works of magical realism, including short stories and other novels.

Plot Summary

Jack Walser, an investigative journalist in London, interviews Sophie Fevvers, world-renowned aeraliste at Colonel Kearney’s traveling circus. However, there is something special about Fevvers—she has a pair of swan’s wings, which she claims are genuine. Skeptical at first, Walser intends to unearth Fevvers’s deception. He joins the circus himself undercover as a clown to continue investigating.

The novel opens in London in 1899 on the cusp of the new century. Walser interviews Fevvers in her dressing room, and she tells him her life story.