T.H. White - The Once and Future King

Rating: 5/5

Review:
A masterpiece

I think this is a magnificent book. It is involving, gripping, learned, wise and humane and is written in lovely, clear readable prose. I have loved it for decades now and return to it every so often with undiminished pleasure.

It is, of course, a retelling of the Arthurian legend but with a focus on the humanity of the characters involved as well as their high, heroic deeds and purpose. White's portrayal of Arthur's growing-up in The Sword In The Stone is a genuine masterpiece of English literature, I think, even if it was later trivialised by Disney. There is genuine erudition, insight and wit here in abundance, with a fine view of humanity and its variety, its nobility and its failings. This continues into the remaining books where White's portraits of Arthur and Lancelot in particular are simply wonderful, but his superb evocation of dozens of other characters make this a full, rich book.

White sticks pretty closely to Malory, for whom he has a deep respect, but he renders the tales and characters wonderfully real and accessible. Parts of the book make me laugh out loud while others, like the paragraph in The Ill-Made Knight which begins "Lancelot came back out of a rainstorm, wet and small," move me profoundly. His understanding of and compassion for his characters is remarkable. For example, in the scene where Lancelot heals the wounds of Sir Urre, White quotes Malory's magnificent sentence, "And ever Sir Lancelot wept, as he had been a child that had been beaten," but also makes the beautifully profound observation that "This lonely and motionless figure knew a secret that was hidden from the others. The miracle was that he had been allowed to perform a miracle."

I have to say that although the first four books here are all masterpieces in my view, The Book Of Merlyn was written significantly later when White's powers had faded somewhat, and isn't very good. Nevertheless, as a whole volume this contains some absolutely superb writing and truly great literature and storytelling. If you haven't read it yet, a treat awaits. Very, very warmly recommended.