This extraordinary novel takes historical fiction and runs with it as far as it can go. It is a beautifully written story that does not simply recreate the life of a Mediaeval Welsh Prince's court - it also injects a philosophical slant that questions the very nature of history and examines the limtis of our knowledge of the world and ourselves.
Griffri, the title character, is a poet at the court of Iorwerth of Gwynllwg, a minor Welsh Prince. Sitting by a hearth, he narrates his life story to a Cistercian monk over two nights, separated by a gap of a dozen years. His story is sometimes amusing, sometimes tragic and encompasses love, murder, rape and political violence.
Christopher Meredith has a gift for recreating the sights and sounds of mediaeval Wales but ensures that his story focuses just as much on character and particularly the innermost thoughts and emotions of the narrator. Griffri finds himself reassessing events in his life that only begin to make sense after many years have passed. We are also invited to question whether his perceived view of events can ever truly represent the reality of the history he describes.
This book is written in an earthy poetic style that captures both the beauty and the danger of the world in which Griffri lives. Non-Welsh readers may find themselves struggling to pronounce the numerous character and place names in the novel but this does not detract from the overall beauty of the book. This is an excellent novel that should find a broad appeal beyond readers of historical fiction.
Christopher Lean: The Historical Novel Society's Review
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