Author:Chrétien de Troyes,William Kibler,Carleton Carroll,William Kibler,William Kibler

Taking the legends surrounding King Arthur and weaving in new psychological elements of personal desire and courtly manner, Chrétien de Troyes fashioned a new form of medieval Romance. The Knight of the Cart is the first telling of the adulterous relationship between Lancelot and Arthur's Queen Guinevere, and in The Knight with the Lion Yvain neglects his bride in his quest for greater glory. Erec and Enide explores a knight's conflict between love and honour, Cligés exalts the possibility of pure love outside marriage, while the haunting The Story of the Grail chronicles the legendary quest. Rich in symbolism, these evocative tales combine closely observed detail with fantastic adventure to create a compelling world that profoundly influenced Malory, and are the basis of the Arthurian legends we know today.
Fans will love it
—— HeatEngaging and smartly plotted
—— ObserverIt's warm-hearted characterisation and deft pacing should make the paperback popular on next summer's beaches
—— The Sunday TimesPast Mortem confirms Elton as craftsmanlike, thoughtful and readable. Fans will find plenty to enjoy
—— Daily MailA writer who provokes almost as much as he entertains
—— Daily MailA transcendentally harmonious and compassionate work
—— Times Literary SupplementA surprisingly tender book... Amid the terror a classic story about love sneaks through: love lost, love imagined, love morphed into madness
—— New York Times Book ReviewBeautifully written... It puts a human face on the suffering inflicted by the Taliban... Disturbing and mesmerizing, The Swallows of Kabul will stay with you long after you've finished it
—— San Francisco ChronicleRiveting... Spare, taut, and pristinely clear prose... An uncanny knack for making moral tension palpable... Extraordinarily moving
—— Philadelphia InquirerA novel very much in the tradition of Albert Camus, not only in its humanism and concern with the consequences of individual choices but also in its determination to bear witness to the absurdities of daily life... [A] chilling portrait of fundamentalism run amok and its fallout on ordinary people
—— New York Times






