The Death of Arthur

The creation of «The Death of Arthur» by Malory was completed around 1470, and the first publication of the novel took place fifteen years later, in 1485. This happened thanks to the publisher William Caxton. Malory's novel has its roots in the legends of the powerful king of the Britons (Celts), who lived in ancient times in the territory of modern Britain and parts of France. The legends of the feats of the ancient ruler lived on in popular memory for a long time, periodically inspiring medieval poets to compose ballads and songs about Arthur. Around the 13th century, an unknown author or a collective of authors created a cycle of novels in Old French based on numerous poems about the exploits of King Arthur's knights. This cycle is now known as «Lancelot-Grail» or «Vulgate». In this monumental work, the vicissitudes of Arthur's life and the heroes from his closest circle are detailed. Using «Lancelot-Grail» as a source of information about the adventures of the Knights of the Round Table, Malory created a well-structured, coherently presented, and vivid literary work. It extols honor, loyalty, and courage. Valiant warriors seek the Holy Grail, the seer and wizard Merlin guides the fearless king, while the treacherous Fairy Morgan creates all kinds of obstacles for them. Unlike other chivalric romances, the narrative of «The Death of Arthur» focuses around the brotherhood of warriors rather than the emotional experiences of the main character or court intrigues.

This edition of «The Death of Arthur» is based on the translation by philologist Inna Maximovna Bernstein (1929–2012). The text is adorned with the works of the outstanding British artist, master of book illustration Aubrey Beardsley (1872–1898).