01/16/2023
Launching today, January 16th, Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene: A Prose Rendering of the 1590’s Epic Poem.
For nearly four years, Sky Turtle Press has been working to offer Edmund Spenser’s 1590’s epic poem The Faerie Queene in a text-faithful prose rendering. The Faerie Queene was a particular favorite of C.S. Lewis, who wrote, “The Faerie Queene never loses a reader it has once gained. . . Once you have become an inhabitant of its world, being tired of it is like being tired of London, or of life.” Yet, many have not read this epic poem because the language is too difficult for most modern readers to untangle.
This grand tale is Tolkienesque in scope, featuring underworlds, hidden lairs, monsters, giants, a dragon, wizards, and good knights who must learn their own weaknesses before completing noble quests. Spenser’s poem contains elements that inspired William Wordsworth, John Milton, James Thomson, Alfred Tennyson, John Keats, George MacDonald, L. Frank Baum, and even William Shakespeare. Readers will also find connections to classics by Virgil, Ovid, and Chaucer, and Geoffrey of Monmouth.
The Faerie Queene Kickstarter Campaign offers a three-volume, generously-footnoted set with text that moves line-by-line through the entirety of Spenser’s 1590’s poem. Every monster, every enchanter, every impossible quest stands ready to face your stout heart.
Acclaimed fantasy artist Justin Gerard has created nearly eighty new illustrations for this project. Former classical educator Rebecca K. Reynolds authored the text, slowly integrating more of Spenser’s original language as she moved through the series. This approach helps readers learn while enjoying fantastical stories about wizards, monsters, dragons, and brave knights. Upon completion of the series, readers who wish to tackle an annotated copy of the original poetry should be prepared for that quest.
Sky Turtle Press is offering a free signed print by acclaimed fantasy artist Michael Kaluta for Day One supporters, so jump in early.
Check out www.faeriequeene.com
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