Lev Grossman is the author of eight novels, including the #1 New York Times bestselling Magicians trilogy, which was also adapted as a TV show that ran for five seasons on the SyFy Channel. The series follows a young man studying and practicing magic at an exclusive college and in the real world. It was hailed as a fresh take on the magic school genre.
Approaching his stories as rewritings or giving them a “fresh take” is something Grossman finds energizing, he revealed in a recent What We’re Reading interview. This is evident in his new novel; a retelling of the King Arthur legend called The Bright Sword. It’s a big adventure, steeped in tradition, but written for a 21st century audience.
“These are the knights who've spent their whole lives at the very edges of the Arthur legend. And what I've done is to bring them to centerstage and to give them the opportunity to be heroes and tell their stories.”Author Lev Grossman on his new novel "The Bright Sword."
The story begins with a young man named Collum who has journeyed a long way to Camelot in the hopes of vying for knighthood. But once he arrives, he learns that King Arthur has just been killed and most of the Knights of the Round Table have retired or been killed as well. A handful of remaining lesser-known knights and Collum form an unlikely team, fighting for the future of Britain.
A story that begins with the death of King Arthur and focuses on the underdogs may seem contrary to the legend, but Grossman explained, “These are the knights who've spent their whole lives at the very edges of the Arthur legend. And what I've done is to bring them to centerstage and to give them the opportunity to be heroes and tell their stories.”
Why take on the King Arthur legend in the first place--a story that’s been told over and over for more than 1000 years? Grossman grew up with the legend, in particular, the classic work The Once and Future King, a collection of stories retelling the King Arthur legend by British writer T.H. White.
Grossman wrote in the “Historical Notes” in the book that Arthur's legend has been told for centuries, but really never quite the same way twice because every teller “leaves their own traces on the story.”
Although we still don't know that much about T.H. White, Grossman explained, “But we're pretty sure he that he was gay. And I thought a lot about the fact that there must have been a whole world of experience and feeling that White had that he couldn't put into his book because the world wasn't ready to hear about gay Knights of the Round Table. And I was very conscious when I was writing that.”
With this in mind, Grossman strived to balance keeping certain iconic elements and traditions in the story, but also think about what stories they couldn't tell at that time because the world wasn't ready.
“The world's ready now, I think, to hear about gay knights,” said Grossman. “There are gay people in the NBA. Gay people in the NFL. Surely, there were gay knights on the Round Table and I think it's time they got to tell their stories.”
Find out more about Lev Grossman and his books on his website.
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