Poet Laureate
Preserved on a single surviving manuscript dating from around 1400,composed by an anonymous master,Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was rediscovered only 200 years ago,and published for the first time in 1839. One of the earliest great stories of English literature,after Beowulf,the poem narrates the strange tale of a green knight on a green horse,who rudely interrupts the Round Table festivities one Yuletide,casting a pall of unease over the company and challenging one of their number to a wager. The virtuous Gawain accepts,and decapitates the intruder with his own axe. Gushing blood,the knight reclaims his head,orders Gawain to seek him out a year hence,and departs. Next Yuletide Gawain dutifully sets forth... His quest for the Green Knight involves a winter journey,a seduction scene in a dream-like castle,a dire challenge answered - and a drama of enigmatic reward disguised as psychic undoing.Publisher: Faber & FaberISBN: 9780571223282Number of pages: 128Weight: 160 gDimensions: 200 x 130 x 10 mmEdition: Main
Simon Armitage
One of the country's most recognisable poets Simon Armitage has carved out a niche for himself as a wry observer of popular culture and documenter of 21st century British society. Since his first collection Zoom! in 1989 his vibrant Northern vernacular and the informality of his subject matter have been mainstays of British poetry ever since.
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