“But where will you be? Where’s your abode?
You’re a man of mystery, as God is my maker.”
from Simon Armitage’s translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Believed to date from around 1400 and regarded as one of finest surviving examples of Middle English poetry, we know little about who wrote Sir Gawain and the Green Knight other than that they were from the North of England.
Set at Christmas in Camelot, the court of King Arthur, it is a mythic tale of magic and mystery in the age of chivalry that has attracted countless translators to explore its rich literary artistry and subtle psychological depth.
In this LitSalon Short we will consider the enduring appeal of this otherworldly wintry adventure and the translation by the Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage, which will be the subject of a four-meeting study led by Tim Swinglehurst in the weeks before Christmas.