Steinbeck’s brilliant rendition of stories heroic, romantic and tragic from Malory’s Morte D'Arthur chronicles the life of Arthur from his mysterious birth through battles and adventures to his establishment as king. In characteristic Steinbeck style the tales

including the fateful marriage to Guinevere and the creation of the fellowship of the knights of the Round Table

emphasize the human qualities of legendary characters. Steinbeck transposed, contextualized and added to the stories, so that they are as alive for us today as they were to Malory’s readers some five hundred years ago. The Acts of King Arthur was published posthumously in 1976. An appendix of letters written by Steinbeck gives a fascinating insight into how he approached Malory’s original work.