King Arthur's Death
(the Alliterative Morte Arthure)
Translated and Illustrated by
Michael Smith

King Arthur's Death (or the Alliterative Morte Arthure), is a fourteenth century masterpiece second only to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, with astonishing pace, action and flow. The book is richly illustrated with over 30 linocuts.

The narrative is extraordinary, telling the story of how Arthur's response to the demands of the Roman Emperor Lucius resulted first in his victory over the Emperor before losing his kingdom and many of his prize knights as a consequence of his own vanity and pride.

The manuscript on which the this translation is based exists in only one copy, held at Lincoln Cathedral Library. Itself a copy of a lost original dating from between 1375 and 1402, the extant manuscript was transcribed by Robert Thornton in the first half of the fifteenth century.

There is evidence to suggest that this alliterative version of Arthur's death was once in much wider circulation; Details in his own romances suggest that Malory himself was familiar with the text when writing his own le Morte d'Arthur .

Background

For an insight into the background for my translation and illustration of this magnificent poem, please see this article from Writing.ie.

"Michel Smith has managed to produce a version that maintains the power and magic of the original, while investing it with a thoroughly modern and viscerally affecting sensibility."

(Shiny New Books - read the full review here)

Summary of Contents:

Historical Introduction

A Summary of the Poem

A Note on the Translation

The translation of the Alliterative Morte Arthure

Notes

Glossary

Some Further Reading

Bibliographical Details:

Title: King Arthur's Death - The Alliterative Morte Arthure

Author & Illustrator: Michael Smith