As I write, I am nearly half way through my translation of the Alliterative Morte Arthure (King Arthur's Death), a fourteenth century poem originally written in Yorkshire or Lincolnshire. I have now begun to produce the linocut illustrations for the poem which, at 4400 lines is nearly twice as long as my recent translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

Again, I will be using linocut prints to illustrate the poem only this time the mood has changed. In Gawain, the mood was one of mediaeval whimsy. In King Arthur's Death, the tone is much darker, reflecting the deep messages the poet was trying to convey: the horrors of war; the dangers of foreign ventures; the fragility of kingship; the loneliness of power.

If Gawain is almost a treatise on the conflict between chivalry, religion and personal conduct, King Arthur's Death instead draws the reader into a more political environment. We are asked by the poet to consider the consequences of rash actions. The poem, written in the provinces, may indeed be a comment on the obsession of fourteenth century monarchs with foreign wars..

Like Gawain, the poem is part of the Alliterative Revival of the fourteenth century. These poems were written away from London, gaining particular popularity in the midlands and north of England and in Scotland.

The method of writing dates back to Anglo-Saxon times. Its punchiness and brevity of technique allows complex messages to be conveyed almost as if by accident. This may be deliberate, so as to disguise views which may have been deemed treasonous or heretical.

So, with this mood in mind, I have adopted a different approach to my printmaking which enables me to focus on the personal messages within the poem. In the text, you will encounter considerable interrogation of the mediaeval military and royal psyche; in the illustrations, I have tried to convey this darker feel by focusing on human emotion and personal conflict.

About the author, Michael Smith

I am a British translator and illustrator of medieval literature. I am also an accomplished printmaker, with work in private collections worldwide.

My books, including a translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and the Alliterative Morte Arthure, are available through all the usual outlets. My translation of The Romance of William and the Werewolf was published in 2024. All my books feature my own linocut prints as their illustrations.

To find out more about me, please click here

For more details of my books and how to purchase signed copies, click here.

#AlliterativeMorteArthure #AlliterativeRevivial #KingArthur #KingArthursDeath #Yorkshire #Lincolnshire #linocutprint #SirGawainandtheGreenKnight #Unbound #Publishing #book #translation #crowdfunding #pledge #patron