John
Matthews.
The Book of Arthur: Lost Tales from the Round Table.
London:
Vega, 2002.
416pp.
Hardback ISBN
184333612X.
Publisher's
recommended price £16.99/US$24.95/Can$38.95
The tales
of Arthur
and the Knights of the Round Table are universally known and loved.
Countless
retellings exist, based for the most part on Sir Thomas Malory's great
work, Le Morte d'Arthur. Yet Malory drew on only a fraction of
the
vast cycles of stories that circulated throughout the Middle Ages. Many
of them are every bit as exciting as those we know so well but have
been
almost completely overlooked, remaining lost in dusty tomes of 19th and
early 20th-century scholarship.
The
Book of
Arthur offers an extensive selection of these 'forgotten tales'
together
with an introduction detailing their origins, the traditions that gave
rise to them and their place in the Arthurian tradition. They include
the
adventures of Sir Jaufre in his romantic quest for the fair Brunnisend,
and the story of Gawain's strange birth, his upbringing among poor folk
and his final rise to Emperor of Rome. There is also a range of the
earliest
accounts of Arthur, deriving from the Celtic storytelling tradition.
Here
is the original Arthur, represented in such powerful tales as 'The Life
of Merlin" and 'The Tale of Lanval'. Also included is the saga of
'Melora
and Orlando', in which we meet King Arthur's daughter, and the first
modern
retelling of the strange and wondrous romances from medieval Ireland,
'The
Crop-eared Dog' and 'The Visit of the Grey-hammed Lady'.
This
fascinating
compendium of lore, adventure, magic and romance will extend the
knowledge
of Arthur and his knights far beyond hitherto known and familiar
boundaries.
In doing so, it will redefine many of the accepted myths and legends
surrounding
the charismatic figure of Arthur.
|
|