Text and facing translation of an important medieval German Arthurian romance. Ulrich von Zatzikhoven's Lanzelet, dating from the end of the twelfth century, is a verse translation into Middle High German of what was probably an Anglo-Norman romance, now lost. It presents the story of Lanzelet (Lancelot), but in quite a different version from Chretien de Troyes' Chevalier de la charrette. The first half of the tale concerns Lanzelet's knightly and romantic exploits on his way to discovering his true identity, while at the same time winning the beautiful Iblis as his wife. The second half revolves around Lanzelet's efforts to defend the honor of the Arthurian court and reestablish his own and his wife's kingdoms. As in much literature of the time, sex, violence and magic abound. This volume presents the first full translation into English, with a new, facing edition of the Middle High German text. It is accompanied by an introduction, variant readings and notes to the translation. Kathleen J. Meyer teaches in the Department of Languages and Ethnic Studies, Bemidji State University.

"Lanzelet," one of the first known versions of the Lancelot story, is a critical work in medieval literature. This Middle High German romance is a rendering of a lost French tale of Lancelot that likely predates Chr?tien de Troyes's famous "Lancelot or the Knight of the Cart." Ulrich von Zatzikhoven obtained a copy of the original book in 1194 and translated the work from French into German. Kenneth G.T. Webster made the first English translation in the 1930s, and Columbia University Press published it in 1951. Following Webster's death, the famed Arthurian scholar Roger Sherman Loomis made slight modifications to the text and expanded Webster's notes. Thomas Kerth's new translation, prepared with the highest accuracy and scholarly insight available to date, includes a new introduction and revised bibliography, notes from both Loomis and Webster, and a commentary reflecting the fifty years of scholarship on "Lanzelet" since the publication of Webster's translation.

Der Lanzelet ist ein ratselhaftes Stuck Artusliteratur. Entstanden bald nach 1194, ist er der zweite deutsche Artusroman. Seine verlorene franzosische Vorlage konnte Teil einer alten, kaum greifbaren Artustradition gewesen sein, sodass der Lanzelet ein Schlusseltext fur die Fruhgeschichte des Artusromans ist. Doch auch seine faszinierende literarische Faktur macht den lange unterschatzten Text heute zu einem zentralen Gegenstand der Artusforschung. Die Studienausgabe bietet Text und Ubersetzung sowie den gekurzten Forschungsapparat der grossen Neuausgabe."