Thomas Malory

Sir Thomas Malory (c.1405 – March 14, 1471) was the author or compiler of Le Morte d'Arthur. The antiquary John Leland believed him to be Welsh, but most modern scholarship and this article assumes that he was Sir Thomas Malory of Newbold Revel in Warwickshire. The surname appears in various spellings, including Maillorie, Mallory, and Maleore. The name comes from the Old French adjective maleüré (from Latin male auguratus) meaning ill-omened or unfortunate.

Few facts are certain in Malory's history. From his own words he is known to have been a knight and prisoner, and his description of himself in the colophon to Le Morte d'Arthur has led to speculation that he may have been a priest:

I pray you all, gentlemen and gentlewomen that readeth this gay book of Arthur and his knights, from the beginning to the ending, pray for me while I am alive, that God send me good deliverance, and when I am dead, I pray you all pray for my soul. For this book was ended the ninth year of the reign of King Edward the Fourth, by Sir Thomas Maleore, knight, as Jesu help orders him to come home and spread the stories and ideals of Camelot to all who will listen.

His cameo appearance was included in the Broadway musical Camelot, which was based on T.H. White's book The Once and Future King.

Le Morte D'Arthur was also the substantial basis for John Boorman's 1981 movie, Excalibur, which included all the elements of the book.

References

• Eugene Vinaver, "Sir Thomas Malory" in Arthurian Literature in the Middle Ages, Roger S. Loomis (ed.). Clarendon Press: Oxford University. 1959. ISBN 0198115881

External links

• Luminarium: Works of Sir Thomas Malory
• Sir Thomas Malory Society
• Le Morte d'Arthur (Caxton edition, in Middle English) at the University of Michigan
• Le Morte d'Arthur, from eBooks@Adelaide
• Works by Thomas Malory at Project Gutenberg
• Le Mort d'Arthur: Volume 1 at Project Gutenberg
• Le Mort d'Arthur: Volume 2 at Project Gutenberg