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Penguin Classics : Penguin Classics - Anonymous

Penguin Classics

By: Anonymous, Pauline M. Matarasso (Translator, Introduction by)

Paperback | 28 February 1969

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Composed by an unknown author in early thirteenth-century France, The Quest of the Holy Grail is 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. Enfused with tragic grandeur and an aura of mysticism, The Quest is 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.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
Industry Reviews
This epic medieval text of Arthurian Romance tells of the adventures of Gawain, Galahad and Lancelot as they journey across a land pitted with dangers and temptations in their quest to find the Holy Grail, the platter that Christ ate the paschal lamb from at the Last Supper, which according to legend Joseph of Arimathea had brought with him when he came to Britain as its first missionary. The knights leave Camelot together, but each makes his own journey to Sarras, the heavenly city, where they can assist at the office of the Grail. And only one is worthy to look into the Grail, and see the mysteries within. As with many medieval tales, the knights' physical journey is an allegory for our spiritual journey through life, the goal being grace which the Grail comes to represent; this and many other interesting points are presented in Matarasso's excellent introduction. (Kirkus UK)

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