The Death of King Arthur: Simon Armitage

Description:

About this item:

By the Poet Laureate

The Alliterative Morte Arthure - the title given to a four-thousand line poem written sometime around 1400 - was part of a medieval Arthurian revival which produced such masterpieces as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Sir Thomas Malory's prose Morte D'Arthur. The Death of King Arthur deals in the cut-and-thrust of warfare and politics: the ever-topical matter of Britain's relationship with continental Europe, and of its military interests overseas.

Simon Armitage is already the master of this alliterative music, as his earlier version of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (2006) so resourcefully and exuberantly showed. His new translation restores a neglected masterpiece of story-telling, by bringing vividly to life its entirely medieval mix of ruthlessness and restraint.

Book Description

The Death of King Arthur is Simon Armitage's brilliant reworking of the tale of the legendary British king, translated fromthe Alliterative Morte Arthure.

About the Author

Simon Armitage was born in West Yorkshire and is Professor of Poetry at the University of Leeds. His collections of poetry, which have received numerous prizes and awards, include Seeing Stars (2010), The Unaccompanied (2017), Sandettie Light Vessel Automatic (2019), Magnetic Field (2020) and his acclaimed translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (2007). He writes extensively for television and radio, and is the author of two novels and the non-fiction bestsellers All Points North (1998), Walking Home (2012) and Walking Away (2015). His theatre works include The Last Days of Troy, performed at Shakespeare's Globe in 2014. From 2015 to 2019, he served as Professor of Poetry at the University of Oxford, and, in 2018, he was awarded the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry. Simon Armitage is Poet Laureate.

Review:

4.8 out of 5

96.92% of customers are satisfied

5.0 out of 5 stars Blood, guts, gore and a heroically moving conclusion

S.b.t.S. · 24 February 2013

This is a translation of the "Alliterative Morte Arthure" a somewhat lesser-known Arthurian poem from the early 1400s.If this sounds somewhat dry and academic, be assured it's nothing of the sort: this is a Mediæval action-movie of a poem. There is blood, plenty of guts, monsters and an endless supply of battles from our heroes as they fight their way from Britain to Rome.It starts rather quietly, but once the action moves to the European mainland the violence barely lets up for the middle three-fifths of the poem. Reading it aloud brings it to life - it works best in five or six page sections - and the reader quickly understands that the modern predilection for violent entertainment is not new. The alliteration never lets up either and consistently adds to the rhythm and power of the piece. I read it to my children, who couldn't resist acting out many of the battles.There are several other sections that move the reader: the two dreams that Arthur has are captivatingly written, and there are several evocative descriptions of the countryside on the journey south. But the main emotional power lies in the last section of the poem where events that the title suggests will not be a spoiler take place: the death of King Arthur. The impact of this is much greater after the middle sections of the poem, and it perhaps packs a bigger punch than the earlier battles ever managed, though still in a macho heroic vein. I wanted more at the end, and I hope that there are further translations to come from the excellent Simon Armitage.

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant

S. · 1 October 2012

I thoroughly enjoyed Sir Gawain and therefore wanted to read this too, and really loved itI'm no poetry scholar but some of lines are so lovely, so crafted the hard work that must have gone into them just oozes outSimon Armitage makes these classics so accessible. The foreword is worth a read because it points you towards what to look for; i.e. alliterationThe poem reads like a novel - it's a real page turner. It flows at pace and even though you know where it's going you want to see what comes nextIt's quite gory in places but one bit made me laugh out loud because it became clear where Monty Python got bits of the Holy Grail from!Hope Simon tackles the Canterbury Tales

4.0 out of 5 stars Tiny peek

M.E. · 23 March 2012

This book was bought as a gift so I could only take a tiny peek. I found it easy to read, no puzzling over deeper meanings but a little strange creating your own rhythm. Bringing the subject out, just what one expected from Simon Armitage.

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth reading for the giant alone

L.S. · 11 April 2012

The rolling force of the language carries you with Arthur on his journey from Carlisle to Rome and back to Britain again. A great combination of epic and descriptive detail. Worth reading for the description of the giant and following battle at St Michael's Mount alone.

5.0 out of 5 stars Arthur lives!

I. · 18 March 2013

The Death of King Arthur is a poem that needs to be read aloud for its alliteration and verbal pyrotechnics and Bill Wallis really brings Simon Armitage's version of Morte Arthure to life, especially the monsters and the battles. Wallis not only reads the modern rendering of the epic but also the Middle English from 1400 so with book in hand one can easily compare past and present forms of the poem. He makes the Middle English sound so easy!

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect!

M.D. · 17 January 2015

Bought for a present. Well received and what a fab dust jacket!Perfect condition.

4.0 out of 5 stars best price but not cheap

C. · 11 November 2015

Quick delivery, as expected, best price but not cheap.

5.0 out of 5 stars Death of Arthur

R.H. · 24 January 2013

Brilliant, very readable and fascinating. This is the latest of several books by Simon Armitage that I have bought and I am thrilled by it.

Very descriptive! A perfect Late Middle Ages counterpoint to Beowulf.

P. · 28 February 2023

I am a big fan of Beowulf and Anglo-Saxon & Norse literature. What attracted me to this book here is the fact that it is written in apparently a living tradition of the same exact kind of poetry that Beowulf was written in, being the traditional Anglo-Saxon alliterative verse form. Beowulf is recognized around the world as a great literary classic of all humanity. Given that Beowulf is widely recognized this way, I would like to draw some parallels to this Death of Arthur epic poem and thus try to suggest that it merits its own place among the greats of classical literature.Like Beowulf it has come down in only one (or was it only two) manuscript. Its first episode, like as in Beowulf, is an epic one on one fight of the hero against a huge giant who has been terrorizing the local people and ruining their lifestyle. Like Beowulf there is plenty of international war, dynastic combat etc. The difference is that this alliterative English language epic is written 600-700 years later than Beowulf and is the product of a different time in history. This time, the epic poem is not about a foreign country but rather is self-confidently about a mighty England, mightier even than the mighty Roman Empire! The description is very precise and evocative! I was at times feeling like I was reading a modern novel rather than an ancient epic poem! The combat seems to describe in considerable detail the kind of battles fought in the 14th Century, and I presume that a big immediate inspiration was the 100 Years' War against France. There is a great deal of detail here for those interested in a close-up contemporary description of Medieval warfare! It is also interesting to see how the heroes view what we might call their warrior's code or code of Chivalry. It is also very interesting to see how they interact. Comparing this book with Beowulf it is also fascinating to see how much the culture had changed by the 14th Century. We are clearly now in a much more familiar world, one much closer to our own, than the world of Beowulf. Ideas such as rules of war, international geopolitics, diplomacy, evolved rules of etiquette and manners all seem much expanded in this epic and much closer to our own modern ways than what we find in Beowulf. This does though contribute to a somewhat reduced effect of exoticism or escapism as compared to the experience of reading Beowulf. Bloodshed while terrifyingly gory in its detail, is very compartmentalized in its specific realm of formal warfare here in The Death of Arthur. Outside of war, it is gentility that rules, and good manners!As a fan of Norse and Anglo-Saxon literature I was pleasantly impressed with how Arthur's warriors speak of going to sup with Christ and his angels that evening after dying heroically on the battlefied, which screams Valhallah and supping with Odin to any pagan Norse enthusiast and is reminiscent of Ragnar Lothbrock's final words before dying in the snake pit in Northumbria. Hengist and Horsa are mentioned in this epic poem. This intrigued me as the original Arthur character was supposedly an enemy of the Anglo-Saxons, but there is nothing in the mention of these founders of Anglo-Saxon civilization in Britain that seemed to indicate anything antagonistic. King Arthur in this poem is 100% English but king of a united English-British-Welsh people. The belief of ethnic origins of the English at the time of writing and through to Shakespeare's day and even later was one of the British people generally being descendants of Trojans fleeing burning Troy, much like how Rome was mythologically founded by the fleeing Trojan Aeneas. In the case of Britain the fleeing hero's name is Brutus and he founds London. The Anglo-Saxon origins of the English as understood in the Early Middle Ages were modified to a story of invasion and settlement by Anglo-Saxons who joined into the melting pot. Still to this day there is no clear consensus on to what extent the English are descendants of the Romano-British and to what extent of the Anglo-Saxons who arrived from the Continent. This is even a politically sensitive topic. DNA testing has not revealed too much as the DNA of people in North Western Europe and the British Isles is far too similar to draw out clear conclusions. Shakespeare believed the English to be the descendants of the Ancient British like King Lear, Coriolanus etc... In any case, the definition of the English nation had changed a lot by the 1400s from what it had been at the time Beowulf was written. The English claimed descent from Brutus by this time. However, the history of England as understood at the time told a tale of Arthur being nearly the last British king to hold great sway over England before the massive takeover by Ango-Saxon dynasties. This epic poem is a tragedy, of the end of the Arthur's kingship... and life! In any case, Arthur is definitely considered an ancestor of the English here, not as a foreign Welsh king by any means. The ethno-political dimension of the poem is all very interesting!This translator has very good English! What a beautiful translation! A lot of the feel for the Anglo-Saxon metre and certainly for the alliteration is brilliantly preserved it seems! To be fair though, the metre is not reproduced at 100% here, but this is fine. What we have is a kind of free-ish take on the original verse, while preserving perfectly its meaning, and most importantly speaking to us in very clear, easy to understand, stylistic modern English!A true triumph!

A great verse translation!

k. · 25 March 2014

This new verse translation of the Alliterative Mort d'Arthur is fabulous. The author takes care to reproduce as faithfully as possible the original alliterations.The goods: There is a name index in back. The work is a 'facing' translation so that the reader can check the original. The original is transcribed using Larry D. Benson's 1974 transcription. The reading is delightfully smooth.My only gripes: maps would be a great addition to this work for those unfamiliar (non-scholars) with the locations and 'roads' in post-roman Britain; perhaps a kindle version in the future might provide 'linked' foot/end notes with geographic locations, family tree references and a timeline.Otherwise, this edition is a great contribution for the non-initiated and Arthurian scholar alike.

Seriously a wonderful book! I loved how it was translated

K. · 9 June 2017

Seriously a wonderful book! I loved how it was translated. And if you get the audio book from Audible, you'll love the narration as you read! It makes the book come to life!

Simon Armitage is a genius

B.D.D. · 16 October 2015

Simon Armitage is a genius. This book and the Gawain and the Green Knight perfect what he began in creating a new verse form of Homer. He places the Middle English verse on the left page, with an alliterative translation on the right. I am reading it aloud to my son--it is a lot of fun, and we are surprised how often we can understand the old version.Perhaps Armitage over-uses the alliterative. He is certainly more consistent than the original. And there are occasional words that are obscure. But he has done a marvelous job at adding another resource for those of us hunting down Arthurian stories (as I talk about here: http://apilgriminnarnia.com/2014/05/26/arthurian-overload/).

Brilliant!

G.L. · 31 January 2013

This book is so well written. I love the translation. Simon did a fantastic job. I read the original Le Morte and this after. Loved the clarity this book gave.

Visit the Faber & Faber Store

The Death of King Arthur: Simon Armitage

Name: The Death of King Arthur: Simon Armitage
Brand: Faber & Faber
SKU: K0571298419
Price: 7.83 BHD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.5 (13 reviews)

4.5

^BHD7⁸³⁴

Quantity:

Order today to get by

Free delivery on orders over BHD 20

Return and refund policies

Product origin: United Kingdom

All product information listed on the site are from 3rd party sources, including images and reviews. bolo.bh is not liable for any claims or promotions mentioned on the product description or images with textual content. For detailed product information, please contact the manufacturer or Bolo support by logging into your account. Unless stated otherwise during checkout, all import taxes and duty are included in the price mentioned on the product page. bolo.bh follows the rules and regulations of sale in Bahrain and will cancel items in an order that are illegal for sale in Bahrain. We take all the necessary steps to ensure only products for sale in Bahrain are displayed. Product stock and delivery estimate may change with the seller even after placing the order. All items are shipped by air and items marked “Dangerous Goods (DG)” by the IATA will be cancelled from orders. We strive to process your order as soon as it is finalized.

Similar suggestions by Bolo

Similar items from “By Period”

Books

Poetry, Drama & Criticism

Poetry

By Period