The Fall of Arthur

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This world-first publication reveals a previously unknown work by J.R.R. Tolkien, chronicling the final days of England's legendary hero, King Arthur. Tolkien's only foray into Arthurian legends showcases his mastery of Old English alliterative metre, imbuing the narrative with a profound sense of fate and gravity. The poem explores Arthur's overseas expedition to distant lands, Guinevere's escape from Camelot, and the climactic sea-battle upon Arthur's return, alongside the treachery of Mordred and Lancelot's inner turmoil in France. Although Tolkien began this ambitious narrative in the early 1930s and shared it with a friend who urged him to complete it, he ultimately abandoned it, likely around 1937, coinciding with the publication of The Hobbit and the early stages of The Lord of the Rings. In a 1955 letter, he expressed hope to finish the poem, but that aspiration remained unfulfilled. Accompanying the text are numerous manuscript pages revealing the poem's evolving structure, along with narrative synopses and intriguing notes that hint at connections between the Arthurian tale and The Silmarillion, as well as the unresolved love story of Lancelot and Guinevere.