The Quest of the Holy Grail

Composed by an unknown author in early thirteenth-century France, The Quest of the Holy Grailis a fusion of Arthurian legend and Christian symbolism, reinterpreting ancient Celtic myth as a profound spiritual fable. It recounts the quest of the knights of Camelot - the simple Perceval, the thoughtful Bors, the rash Gawain, the weak Lancelot and the saintly Galahad - as they journey through danger and temptation to reach the elusive Holy Grail. But only one of them is judged worthy to see the mysteries within the sacred vessel, and look upon the ineffable. Infused with tragic grandeur and an aura of mysticism, The Questis an absorbing and radiant allegory of man's perilous search for divine grace, and had a profound influence on later Arthurian romances and versions of the Grail legend. P. M. Matarasso's translation remains faithful to the direct, simple language of the original, while her introduction discusses The Quest as an anti-romance, subverting the courtly ideal. This edition 'also includes new further reading.