What is the title of J.R.R. Tolkien’s posthumously published 2013 poem about King Arthur?
Answer
The Fall of Arthur
The Fall of Arthur is the title of J.R.R. Tolkien’s posthumously published 2013 poem about King Arthur.
Tolkien wrote the poem in alliterative verse, drawing on the medieval tradition associated with English heroic poetry. The surviving work focuses on Arthur’s campaign against invading Saxons and the crisis that develops in his kingdom, while also engaging with the familiar figures of Arthurian legend.
The poem was edited and published by Christopher Tolkien in 2013. The edition includes Tolkien’s unfinished verse, explanatory notes, and Christopher Tolkien’s discussion of the work’s development. Tolkien never completed the poem, so it does not offer a finished retelling comparable to a complete novel.
The title can be confused with Tolkien’s works based on Norse legend, including The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún. Those are separate books. The Fall of Arthur belongs to Tolkien’s attempts to reinterpret the Arthurian tradition in an English poetic style.