Reference Reviews

Lawrence Looks at Books

Arthurian Writers: A Biographical Encyclopedia, edited by Laura Cooner Lambdin and Robert Thomas Lambdin. 401 p. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2008. 978-0-313-34682-8; 2007-26093. $95.

Arthurian Writers: A Biographical Encyclopedia Stories of King Arthur and his knights have thrilled audiences for nearly nine hundred years. Having previously written The Prophecies of Merlin, Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote his History of the Kings of Britain in 1138. Weaving fact and fiction, Geoffrey prominently placed Arthur in long list of British kings. A contemporary, the Norman Wace would soon adapt the purported history into verse. However, it was the French poet Chrétien de Troyes who would develop the threads of Arthurian legends into a full cycle of romances. Many imitators followed, and the stories have waxed and waned in popularity ever since. This latest guide to Arthurian literature selectively explores this long literary tradition, focusing on the related works of 34 notable writers. Entries are arranged chronologically beginning with such potential sources for Arthurian traditions as the historians Gildas, Bede, and Nennius. Strangely, there is almost no discussion of the Welsh traditions reflected in The Mabinogion. For the early years the scope includes much continental writing, but from Chaucer forward, the focus centers on English language authors. The selection ranges from Thomas Malory, Edmund Spenser and John Dryden to Mary Stewart, Persia Woolley and Margaret Atwood. Each entry examines the life of an author, their Arthurian writing, and its relationship to their other work. Discussions include plot summaries and analyses of primary themes. The supporting bibliographies noting major works and secondary sources are not limited to the authors’ Arthurian writing. A final chapter examines Arthurian themes in art. Though far from comprehensive, this guide will support substantial investigations of Arthurian literature in academic and public libraries.
—John R.M. Lawrence