PREFACE TO INTERVIEWS WITH AUTHORS OF MODERN ARTHURIAN LITERATURE

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PREFACE

by

RAYMOND H. THOMPSON

Arthurian legend has fascinated us from its earliest inception. Yet it owes so little to its historical roots that many doubt whether there even was such a person as Arthur. He is, rather, a creation of the storytellers who rescued him, whoever he really was, from the obscurity that engulfed so many figures in the Dark Ages. In their hands he and his followers have grown to represent, even amidst disappointment and defeat, amidst darkness and despair, the dream of a brighter world.
This book of interviews with Arthurian authors is dedicated to all who have helped to build that dream, but particularly to Rosemary Sutcliff, the first whom I interviewed, and the first among them to die. She was a fine writer and a good friend who will be sorely missed.