Nigel Bryant (1) (1953–)

It’s a bloody masterpiece. In three short romances, Robert (or his redactor) creates an origin story for the Grail, tells the quest for it, and then the death of Arthur. In the process he creates something that we can recognise as the Arthurian legend today, not just rumours and whispering of it.

How he does this is very clever. Before you dive in to Joseph of Arimathea, it’s worth reading the Gospel of Nicodemus and some of the Pilate Cycle. These are all short works. Bear in mind that at the time people thought they were actual historical documents. Our author has wound his story around this history. It opens with an orthodox statement of faith. In the introduction (short but excellent), Bryant mentions a theory that this may be to counter accusations of Catharism. Well, possibly, but Robert is on dangerous ground anyway, playing around with truth.

In Merlin Robert switches to the Canonical Gospels and Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History of the Kings of Britain. Again, it’s worth having read these beforehand; and again they were all thought at the time to be genuine historical documents on the one had and an actual history on the other. Merlin is a kind of anti-Christ, as it were – not evil, but his life a reflection of Jesus’. I particularly enjoyed how Bryant translates his direct speech into the same rhythms and tone as Nicol Williamson uses in Boorman’s Excalibur. He does a similar thing in one of his other Arthurian translations where he quotes Monty Python’s Quest for the Holy Grail as often as he can.

Perceval opens in a sort of dreamland. Castles that move about, in a forest that can’t be mapped, though which lone knights can quest. A land bound with enchantments. Perceval’s achieving of the Grail is a sort of double-edged sword. On the one hand the enchantments are unbound, but on the other time starts. We’re suddenly in the 13th Century where knights are not lone superheroes but soldiers who can be killed.

I enjoyed this all the more for having read the other books mentioned above, but really you’re ready for this if you’ve read Chrétien de Troyes. As they say in blurbs, if you only read one Arthurian romance this year...… (lisätietoja)

William Marshal was a medieval knight who served under four kings – Henry II, Richard I (Lionheart), John, and Henry III. This is a laudatory biography (author unknown) of Marshal, claimed to be the greatest knight of his time. Some of the episodes do not accord very well with the modern conception of a “chivalrous knight”; Marshal was concerned with obtaining booty in war and in tournaments (although he’s presented as being less concerned than some of his contemporaries) and he’s not very romantic; at one point Marshal comes across a runaway monk fleeing with a lady; they have a large sum of money and intend to live by putting it out at interest. Marshal doesn’t seem to be interested in the monk breaking his vows, or the lady going to live in sin; he confiscates the money the prevent the couple from committing the sin of usury.

There are numerous accounts of Marshal’s tournaments and battles, in which he’s always victorious. He has somewhat troubled relationships with the various kings he served under – he famously killed Richard I’s horse under him to prevent him from attacking his own father, Henry II (and later justified it to Richard by saying he would have done the same for him if the positions were reversed). The translation by Nigel Bryant is lively and readable. There’s a helpful glossary of medieval terms, and a good index. A surprisingly fun read, given the subject matter.… (lisätietoja)