Constructed from the many and often contradictory Grail legends, here is a single, consistent and accessible narrative for the general reader - now available in paperback. The Grail legends have been appropriated by novelists as diverse as Umberto Eco and Dan Brown yet very few have read for themselves the original stories from which they came. All the mystery and drama of the Arthurian world are embodied in the extraordinary tales of Perceval, Gawain, Lancelot and Galahad in pursuit of the Holy Grail. The original romances, full of bewildering contradictions and composed by a number of different writers, dazzle with the sheer wealth of their conflicting imagination. In Nigel Bryant's hands, this enthralling material becomes truly accessible. He has constructed a single, consistent version of the Grail story in modern English which reasserts its relevance as one of the great and enduring works of literature. NIGEL BRYANT's previous Arthurian books include The High Book of the Grail (Perlesvaus), Chretien de Troyes' Perceval and its Continuations, and Robert de Boron's Merlin and the Grail.

Part ripping yarn and part religious myth, re-told in a seemingly seamless narrative with verve and panache, true to its sources but eminently accessible to a modern audience. * PENDRAGON *
Fine, inspiring literature made wholly accessible. * FORTEAN TIMES *
Can be recommended to those who wish to acquaint themselves with one of the most enchanting medieval legends. * INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF BIBLICAL STUDIES *
[M]akes the Grail material accessible to students on several levels, from the undergraduate to the interested professional scholar outside of French medieval studies or Arthurian studies or medieval literature in general. * MEDIEVAL REVIEW *
An original compilation that ingeniously weaves together several diverse strands of the Grail legend. It is an intriguing, and occasionally surprising, refashioning of the tale...a delightful read. * ARTHURIANA *

NIGEL BRYANT is well known for his lively and accurate versions of medieval French works. His translations of Chrétien de Troyes' Perceval and all its continuations and of the extraordinary late Arthurian romance Perceforest have been major achievements; he has also translated Jean le Bel's history of the early stages of the Hundred Years War, and the 13th- and 14th-century biographies of William Marshal and Bertrand du Guesclin. He was awarded the 2019 Norris J. Lacy Prize for outstanding editorial achievement in Arthurian studies.