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Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
- Narrated by: Simon Armitage
- Length: 2 hrs and 28 mins
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Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
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Summary
A complete and unabridged recording of Simon Armitage's hugely successful translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, read by the author. When the mysterious Green Knight arrives unbidden at the Round Table one Christmas, only Gawain is brave enough to take up his challenge.... This story, first told in the 1400s, is one of the most enthralling, dramatic and beloved poems in the English tradition.
Now, in Simon Armitage, the poem has found its perfect modern translator. Armitage's retelling of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight captures all of the magic and wonderful storytelling of the original while also revitalising it with his own popular, funny and contemporary voice.
Simon Armitage was born in West Yorkshire in 1963. In 1992 he was winner of one of the first Forward Prizes and a year later was the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year. He works as a freelance writer, broadcaster and playwright and has written extensively for radio and television. Previous titles include Kid, Book of Matches, The Dead Sea Poems, CloudCuckooLand, Killing Time, The Universal Home Doctor, Homer's Odyssey and Tyrannosaurus Rex versus The Corduroy Kid.
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What listeners say about Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Emma Heskett
- 24-12-23
Fantastic translation
Wonderfully accessible and enjoyable translation. Read excellently by the author. A great Christmas listen. Highly recommend
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Ross H
- 08-10-21
Oldie
Was ok, im glad it all tied in at the end as it seemed to take a major deviation. Quite preachy and old fashioned but had some fun phrases in places
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- richard2
- 31-10-23
Very listenable and clever
I have always loved this poem from studying it many years ago. I think Simon Armitage’s translation and performance work so well - the combination of alliterative verse and frequent modern phraseology is delightful. I enjoyed hearing it from start to finish (except maybe the bloody and cruel hunt scenes, and the happy conclusion that women are all liars - from the original, so not Mr Armitage’s fault!).
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Richard
- 28-12-20
Beautiful poetic translation Zed
Beautiful poetic translation and brought to life by Simon Armitage in an authentic northern accent.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- HW
- 21-05-24
Perfect
I had read this for the OU, but was excited to hear this version and specifically Simon reading it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- writerbytrade
- 23-05-23
Beautiful version and reading
Somehow never had read this during years of studying English literature and thought it might be more a ‘good to have read it at last’ rather than the ‘I absolutely love this in every way’ experience it was. Armitage captures both the literary/oral tradition of the time (the triple alliterations for example) and the vernacular of now, which really gave a sense of how captivating such a tale would have been for listeners at the time (and showing how it remains so too with much to speak to today). In short I enjoyed this take and the reading so much and listened on a long drive through Northumbria which felt just right. This just unfurled in my visual imagination and has resonated long after. One of my favourite listens.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Tim Allen
- 28-03-23
Excellent book
Love it and Simon’s narration might not be to everyone’s liking but I felt that it added greatly to the experience
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- James Harries
- 16-07-24
incredible
love his accent translation and reading , as atmospheric as the tale itself, a perfect match.
The bloody hunting and butchery descriptions have a disgusting beauty.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Kindle Customer
- 17-10-20
Hear it as poetry, not a foreign language exercise
As a student I read this in the original. It was enjoyable but a bit of a struggle. Listening to this translation put me closer to the experience of the first audience.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- MrsAmazon
- 11-04-21
wonderful
amazing, in awe of Armitage's translation and epic delivery. highly recommended. thoroughly enjoyable story.
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2 people found this helpful