Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
“The alliterative form of the six hundred-year-old original is brilliantly exploited by both translators and both readers are faithful to the text’s Middle English northern dialect. Armitage has the edge for sheer linguistic vigour, but his reading lacks variety of pitch and pace. Britton’s narration is punchier, capturing, for example, the coy, teasing tone of the seductress who tests Gawain’s chivalry, and the tension as he approaches the Green Chapel.”
Observer (London)
A mysterious knight all in green arrives at King Arthur’s court and issues a bizarre challenge. Gawain answers the knight—but at what cost?
This new translation keeps all the poetic power of the original’s extraordinary alliteration. In doing so it brings the saga vividly to life in a manner that demands to be heard. One of the greatest stories of English literature from any period, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a magical medieval combination of the epic and the uncanny.
Praise