The definitive English version of the stories of King Arthur, Le Morte Darthur was completed in 1469-70 by Sir Thomas Malory, `knight-prisoner'. In a resonant prose style, Malory charts the tragic disintegration of the fellowship of the Round Table, destroyed from within by warring factions. Recounting the life of King Arthur, the knightly exploits of Sir Lancelot du Lake, Sir Tristram, Sir Gawain, and the quest for the Holy Grail, Le Morte Darthur depicts the contradictions that underscore the Fellowship's chivalric ideals. A pervading tension cumulates in the revelation of Lancelot and Guenivere's illicit passion, and in Arthur's powerlessness to prevent a related outbreak of violence and revenge. This generously annotated edition is based on the authoritative Winchester manuscript and represents what Malory wrote more closely than the first version printed by William Caxton. Intelligently abridged from the original to make a single substantial volume, the translation is supplemented by a fine Introduction, a Glossary, and extensive Notes

托馬斯•馬洛禮

（1416？—1471）

中世紀騎士

齣生於優渥的英格蘭士紳傢庭

25歲受封騎士，29歲當選沃裏剋郡國會議員

之後幾度陷入金雀花王朝的政治博弈以及玫瑰戰爭

經曆多次牢獄顛沛後，專心撰寫《亞瑟王之死》

1470年3月，在倫敦監獄完成 手稿，隔年3月身故

.........................

陳纔宇

浙江磐安人，譯者、古英語及中古英語教授

譯著有《貝奧武甫》《金色筆記》《失樂園》等