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siria's review
4.0
King Artus brings together an edition (in Hebrew and English translation) and an analysis of an interesting fragment: a few folios of "The book of the destruction of King Artus’ round table", an incomplete Arthurian tale as written by an anonymous Italian Jew in the late thirteenth century. The translator didn't produce a word-for-word translation, but a Judaising one, with the Grail replaced by a tamchuy (a platter from which food was dispensed to the needy on Shabbat), Lancelot swearing by ha-Shem, and so on. It tells us both of a vibrant Jewish intellectual culture (the text is full of scriptural allusions) and of story-telling across ethnic/religious divides in the Middle Ages.
Curt Leviant's translation of the text is clear and accessible. While King Artus is not a wholly transformative work, or a startlingly subversive take on the Arthurian mythos—it's fairly faithful abridgement of familiar tales; the Christian elements are reduced or transliterated, but this is still clearly a story about Christians—for those with an interest in the topic or the period, it's worth a read as the only surviving Arthurian romance in Hebrew from the Middle Ages.
Curt Leviant's translation of the text is clear and accessible. While King Artus is not a wholly transformative work, or a startlingly subversive take on the Arthurian mythos—it's fairly faithful abridgement of familiar tales; the Christian elements are reduced or transliterated, but this is still clearly a story about Christians—for those with an interest in the topic or the period, it's worth a read as the only surviving Arthurian romance in Hebrew from the Middle Ages.
ultimatecryptid's review
informative
slow-paced
4.5
King Artus includes the translation of the Hebrew text, then takes its time explaining the surrounding Jewish context, and the thoughts of Jewish learning around Arthuriana during the time the author wrote the text. All of this was explained extremely clearly, and I never felt loss.
My favorite part of the collection however, was where Leviant takes the time to explain the parallels between Arthurian legend and events in Jewish Theology, positing that the authors of these stories intentionally drew from these legends to create their epics.
My favorite part of the collection however, was where Leviant takes the time to explain the parallels between Arthurian legend and events in Jewish Theology, positing that the authors of these stories intentionally drew from these legends to create their epics.
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