The Mabinogion (Everyman Library) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0460872974 ISBN 13: 9780460872973

Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2022

Synopsis

Destiny, magic and chance, human strengths and weaknesses–The Mabinogion's stories are among the most compelling and beautiful in European literature.

Compsed in the golden age of Celtic story–telling in the eleventh century or earlier, they bring together the grotesque and the warmly human, the entertaining and the richly significant. Culhwch is here, perilously wooing the Giant's Daughter; Owain is here, winning the Lady of the fountain by Knightly feats of arms;and –a portent and a miracle both –King Arther is here for the first time as a prime mover in a significant prose narrative ('Culhwch and Olwen'), and thereafter as King and Emperor of what is still the world's most famous royal court.

'A magnificent acheivment...It is hard to think that in scholarship or as a piece of English prose the present translation will ever be bettered'–Sir Idris Bell, The Welsh Review

'Magisterial ...the authoritative translation, notable for its meticulous scholarship and a fine literary style'
Oxford Companion to the Literature of Wales

About this title

From the Publisher:

Founded in 1906 by J.M. Dent, the Everyman Library has always tried to make the best books ever written available to the greatest number of people at the lowest possible price. Unique editorial features that help Everyman Paperback Classics stand out from the crowd include: a leading scholar or literary critic's introduction to the text, a biography of the author, a chronology of her or his life and times, a historical selection of criticism, and a concise plot summary. All books published since 1993 have also been completely restyled: all type has been reset, to offer a clarity and ease of reading unique among editions of the classics; a vibrant, full-color cover design now complements these great texts with beautiful contemporary works of art. But the best feature must be Everyman's uniquely low price. Each Everyman title offers these extensive materials at a price that competes with the most inexpensive editions on the market-but Everyman Paperbacks have durable binding, quality paper, and the highest editorial and scholarly standards.

From the Inside Flap:

Preface by John Updike
The 11 stories of "The Mabinogion, first assembled on paper in the fourteenth century, reach far back into the earlier oral traditions of Welsh poetry.
Closely linked to the Arthurian legends--King Arthur himself is a character--they summon up a world of mystery and magic that is still evoked by the Welsh landscape they so vividly describe. Mingling fantasy with tales of chivalry, these stories not only prefigure the later medieval romances, but stand on their own as magnificent evocations of a golden age of Celtic civilization.
This translation of "The Mabinogion has, since its first appearance in 1949, been recognized as a classic in its own right. It was last revised by Gwyn Jones and his wife, Mair, in 1993.

About this edition

• Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson
• Publication date: 2022
• ISBN 10: 0460872974
• ISBN 13: 9780460872973
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 272