Erec and Enide marks the birth of the Arthurian romance as a literary genre. Written circa 1170, this version of the Griselda legend tells the story of the marriage of Erec, a handsome and courageous Welsh prince and knight of the Round Table, and Enide, an impoverished noblewoman. When the lovers become estranged because Erec neglects his knightly obligations, they subsequently ride off together on a series of adventures that culminate in their reconciliation and the liberation of a captive knight in an enchanted orchard.

An innovative poet working during a time of great literary creativity, Chrétien de Troyes wrote poems that had a lively pace, skillful structure, and vivid descriptive detail. Ruth Harwood Cline re-creates for modern audiences his irony, humor, and charm, while retaining the style and substance of the original octosyllabic couplets. Her thorough introduction includes discussions of courtly love and the Arthurian legend in history and literature, as well as a new and provocative theory about the identity of Chrétien de Troyes. This clearly presented translation, faithful in preserving the subtle expressive qualities of the original work, is accessible reading for any Arthurian legend aficionado and an ideal text for students of medieval literature.

Anglophone students and general readers can trust that Cline's translations, surely a sustained labor of love, are faithful to the poignant characters and suspenseful situations that make Chrétien's earliest romances well worth reading.

The English speaking world is indebted to Chrétien for shaping this marvelous legend and to Cline for an accurate translation.

Her work constitutes the finest poetic translations now available of Chrétien's romances.

CHRÉTIEN DE TROYES (1135?–1191?) was a French poet and trouvère. He is widely regarded as the creator of the literary genre known as the Arthurian romance, and the originator of the heroic medieval character Lancelot.