The Death of King Arthur

First appearing around 1400, The Alliterative Morte Arthure, or The Death of King Arthur, is one of the most widely beloved and spectacularly alliterative poems ever penned in Middle English. Now, from the internationally acclaimed translator of Sir Gawain and The Green Knight, comes this magisterial new presentation of the Arthurian tale, rendered in unflinching and gory detail. Following Arthur's bloody conquests across the cities and fields of Europe, all the way to his spectacular and even bloodier fall, this masterpiece features some of the most spellbinding and poignant passages in English poetry. Never before have the deaths of Arthur's loyal knights, his own final hours, and the subsequent burial been so poignantly evoked. Echoing the lyrical passion that so distinguished Seamus Heaney's Beowulf, Simon Armitage has produced a virtuosic new translation that promises to become both the literary event of the year and the definitive edition for generations to come.

Simon Armitage was born in 1963 and lives in West Yorkshire. He has penned several volumes of poetry as well as writing for radio, television, film and the stage. He has also received numerous awards for his work, including the Sunday Times Author of the Year, one of the first Forward Prizes, and a Lannan Award.