Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

I loved this in Middle English, in grad school, and it was a huge treat to encounter a skilled reader, a very good new translation AND the original as well, competently read.

The story is really good, and the poetry remains to a fair extent in the translation. The reader is outstanding.

Wonderful to hear the gritty reading, with an appropriate but understandable northern accent, which to me (born long ago in Northern England) brings a great sense of reality to the performance. A great change from the upper class accents that so often accompany English readings.

I especially appreciated the scholarly lecture at the beginning telling me about what I was about to hear and why it was so special.
A truly epic poem that kept my interest until the very end.
The untranslated version after the modern english version was interesting as well.

I can easily say that the alliterative translation, and it's reading by Simon Armitage, is one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard in my life. Unable to get enough, I am now listening to the second half of the book, which is the poem in Old English. BRAVO at a magnificent accomplishment!!!!!!!

The poem was easy to understand, much like The Lady of Shalott, or The Highwayman. And any one that loves a good Arthurian tale will surely love this. Another added bonus was the translator Simon Armitage's introduction. And at the end of the story Bill Wallis, who by the way does a fantastic job, re-reads the poem but this time in Middle English, wow it was a real treat to hear it the way it sounded 600 years ago.

A poem should be heard. This recording is excellent -- the reader understands what he's reading and is exciting to listen to. His reading reveals a superior grasp of the characters and the story.

The translator's introduction is invaluable for getting across the exact point of what this version is all about. The medieval version of this poem is alliterated, and rather than directly translate the words to modern English for the sake of the story, liberties have been taken to recreate the poetry of the alliteration and verse meter while. The story is therefore a more liberal translation, but serves quite well on that point for those seeking poetry over linguistics.

There are a number of versions of this tale told throughout the ages, and much like with any legend from the Arthurian lineup, I find myself seeking out multiple versions to compare and contrast how they've evolved. As I am not well-versed in medieval English, I find this translation to be welcome for it's preservation of the poetic form. I've read a number of prose translations over the years, and much like with The Iliad and The Odyssey, I feel like I've come closer to appreciating the poet's original intent when presented with a version such as this where the poetry itself takes center stage. It's made that much more so when the translator, via the narrator, connects this story backwards from Arthur's Briton to the fall of Troy.

The narrator reminds of me of a historian you might see on PBS. He sounds scholarly enough to get the point across that he's the surrogate for the translator, but at the same time he offers a quiet dignity to the tale itself, calling the listener back to the original poet, perhaps reciting his work around a campfire to a cadre of soldiers. All in all, a superb rendition, one that any medievalist or Arthurian enthusiast should seek out.

I loved listening to this audiobook. The story of this valiant knight kept me interested, and the narrator was excellent. Great listen!