ARGONAUT BOOKS

Join us for a relaxed chat about a different poetry collection or poet each month. The poetry book club is for first time poetry readers and veteran poetry lovers alike; with no pressure to read aloud yourself if you would rather listen.

Our book this month is 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight' by Simon Armitage. 

Preserved on a single surviving manuscript dating from around 1400, composed by an anonymous master, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was rediscovered only 200 years ago, and published for the first time in 1839. One of the earliest great stories of English literature, after Beowulf, the poem narrates the strange tale of a green knight on a green horse, who rudely interrupts the Round Table festivities one Yuletide, casting a pall of unease over the company and challenging one of their number to a wager. The virtuous Gawain accepts, and decapitates the intruder with his own axe.

Gushing blood, the knight reclaims his head, orders Gawain to seek him out a year hence, and departs. Next Yuletide Gawain dutifully sets forth... His quest for the Green Knight involves a winter journey, a seduction scene in a dream-like castle, a dire challenge answered - and a drama of enigmatic reward disguised as psychic undoing.

FAQs

How long does each book club last?

Each book club is an hour and a half, ending around 8.30pm.

Do I have to finish reading the book before coming along?

Ideally, but no! If you can't, or don't want to, finish the book, we still want to hear your thoughts. We will however spoil every aspect of the book during discussion.