Amy Jeffs - Arthur, A New Life

In Arthur: A New Life, medieval art and culture specialist Amy Jeffs takes an epic journey back to the Middle Ages, where a new King Arthur is waiting to be discovered – a larger- than-life warlord, a hero raised by fairies, a leader of the wild hunt, a monster-slayer, lying wounded under the ash cloud, longing to rise again.

Drawing out dark and beautiful tales from original medieval and early- modern texts, Jeffs’ beautiful and captivating new book – as its title suggests – breathes new life into the story of one of England’s most legendary kings.

From Merlin’s conception and the building of the Round Table to the abduction of Guinevere and King Arthur’s ambitious quest for empire, Jeffs transports the reader to medieval citadels and volcanoes, caves and riverbanks, and from Hell to the Otherworld. As well as re-engaging with the familiar – the sword in the stone, the construction of Stonehenge, and Guinevere his queen – Jeffs also delves into lesser-known sources, the legends’ crafted nature, and their symbiotic relationship with the political cultures of their time.

Somerset-based Jeffs is the author of three previous books, including the Sunday Times bestseller Storyland: A New Mythology of Britain and Wild: Tales from Early Medieval Britain.