Wings Press

Of all the knights who sat around King Arthur's Round Table, Sir Galahad was the best. Undefeated in battle, it was Sir Galahad who survived the Siege Perilous, who worked miraculous cures, and who achieved the Quest for the Holy Grail. Yet we know next to nothing of his story. Malory, Tennyson, even T.H. White, all were content to let this good knight languish as a minor, if very mysterious, character. Dr. Ruth Lehmann has rectified this situation by bringing Sir Galahad to life in her novel Blessed Bastard.

Ruth Lehmann has added a unique factor to the Arthurian saga by introducing Irish spirituality and literature into the narrative. Likewise, her translations of ancient Irish and Welsh poems and songs are set like gems in the text. Arthur, we must remember, was a Celtic chieftain, not a left-over Roman general and certainly not a prince of the High Middle Ages, as many authors have pictured him. In this sense, Blessed Bastard is a masterpiece of historical and cultural restoration.

Blessed Bastard is a physically beautiful book as well: the text is printed on laid papers in two colors, with Celtic printer's ornaments and initial capitals. The European-style exterior dust wrapper's die-cut peeps into the full color cover. A limited edition of 50 copies is also available, which has been numbered and signed by the author.