Writing Worth Reading
Writing Worth Reading
It is always fascinating to see how the ancient Celts are perceived and manipulated in our own times. This is a far-out, very entertaining autobiography of the man who believes himself to be the reincarnation of Arthur and the fools who get in his way.
I’m fascinated by your next choice, The Trials of Arthur: The Life and Times of a Modern-Day King.
This book is absolutely wonderful. It describes the adventures of Arthur Pendragon, a chap who lives near Winchester.
I’ve come across him in various guises over the years. He’s one of these people who are not only very colourful, but very active. One moment he’s campaigning against the new carpark in Winchester city centre, the next he’s climbing up trees to protect a stretch of ancient British countryside from road development. So he’s a fascinating but also a very active person and the book is a really great read.
He believes himself to be the reincarnation of King Arthur, and this book is co-written – what’s essentially a ghost writer tries to bring this up on a couple of occasions, but Arthur of course just rushes over this. As far as he is concerned he’s just the reincarnation of King Arthur and that’s it.
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Simon Young is the author of four books and his writing has appeared in History Today, the Spectator, and the Guardian. He combines a commitment to serious history, especially that of the medieval Celts, with a desire to communicate Dark Age history to the general public. He lives in Florence.
