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More copies of this ISBN:This title in other formats:Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: A New Verse Translationby Simon Armitage
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:A spellbinding poetic translation of this six hundred year-old Arthurian story of beheading, romance, and the supernatural.
Composed in the late fourteenth century by an anonymous author in the English provinces, this remarkable epic has enchanted readers for generations. The work itself is an unparalleled masterpiece of alliteration and rhyme, beginning at Christmastime in Camelot, when the festivities of the Round Table are interrupted by the sudden appearance of a fearful stranger, green from head to foot. A young knight, Gawain, rises to the challenge. What follows is a test of nerve and heart as Gawain travels north to meet his destiny at the Green Chapel in a year's time. Following in the tradition of Seamus Heaney, Simon Armitage, one of England's leading poets, has produced a virtuoso new translation that resounds with both clarity and verve. Review:"Composed in medieval England by an unknown poet and set in what were (even then) the old days of King Arthur, the tale of Sir Gawain begins when a magical warrior with green skin and green hair interrupts the Christmas party at Camelot with a bizarre challenge: 'If a person here present, within these premises,/ is big or bold or red blooded enough/ to strike me one stroke and be struck in return' in once year's time, says the knight, 'I shall give him as a gift this gigantic cleaver.' Pure, loyal Sir Gawain accepts the agreement: the adventures that ensue include a boar hunt, a deer hunt, and an extended flirtation with a noble lady, designed to test Sir Gawain's bravery, fidelity and chastity, and to explore — with some supernatural help — the true meaning of virtue. The Gawain-poet, as he is known to scholars, wrote in Middle English (reproduced here); though it is slightly harder to read than Chaucer, the grammar is more or less our own. Armitage (The Shout), one of England's most popular poets, brings an attractive contemporary fluency to the Gawain-poet's accentual, alliterative verse: We hear the knights of Round Table 'chatting away charmingly, exchanging views.' This is a compelling new version of a classic." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.) Review:"[Armitage's vernacular translation] is rich and various and recreates the gnarled verbal texture of the Middle English original, which is presented in a parallel text....Armitage has given us an energetic, free-flowing, high-spirited version." Edward Hirsch, The New York Times Book Review Review:"Promises to drive the green force of the old poem through the Armitage fuse and set it a-buddin' and a-bloomin' for the new millennium." Seamus Heaney, Nobel Laureate and best-selling translator of Beowulf Review:"Brilliantly orchestrated....Armitage has produced a brilliantly well-tuned modern score for one of the finest surviving examples of Middle English poetry." Poetry Review Review:"It's far from perfect...but it nonetheless manages to convey both the poetic brilliance and the narrative verve of the original....In the end this version...succeeds at almost everything: It tells a rousing story with mostly superior poetry." South Florida Sun-Sentinel Review:"[Mr. Armitage] does get across the epic's emotional authenticity and subtlety and its tough, tricky, sardonic core. This translation reveals a writer closely attuned to centuries-old local influences and traditions of language." The Wall Street Journal Synopsis:Following in the tradition of Seamus Heaney's reworking of Beowulf, Armitage, one of England's leading poets, has produced a virtuoso new translation of the 600-year-old Arthurian story with both clarity and verve. About the AuthorSimon Armitage, whose The Shout was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, has published ten volumes of verse and has received numerous honors for his work. He is also a playwright, novelist, screenwriter, and song lyricist. What Our Readers Are SayingBe the first to add a comment for a chance to win!Product Details
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