Sir Gawain and The Green Knight

by John Gardner

This Middle-English poem about the moral testing of a young hero is commonly described as the greatest Arthurian romance in our literary tradition. It is a question still as to who the author is, but this poet is considered second only to Chaucer.

Genres: Nonfiction, Medieval, Reference

82 pages, Paperback

First published November 3, 1967

About the author

John Champlin Gardner was a well-known and controversial American novelist and university professor, best known for his novel Grendel, a retelling of the Beowulf myth.

Gardner was born in Batavia, New York. His father was a lay preacher and dairy farmer, and his mother taught English at a local school. Both parents were fond of Shakespeare and often recited literature together. As a child, Gardner attended public school and worked on his father's farm, where, in April of 1945, his younger brother Gilbert was killed in an accident with a cultipacker. Gardner, who was driving the tractor during the fatal accident, carried guilt for his brother's death throughout his life, suffering nightmares and flashbacks. The incident informed much of Gardner's fiction and criticism — most directly in the 1977 short story "Redemption," which included a fictionalized recounting of the accident.

From Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gar...

Reviews

[Sky · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good guide to prepare for the main title.