Terence Hanbury White: The sword in the stone. (Undetermined language, 1964, Collins)
Undetermined language
Am 26. Februar 1964 von Collins veröffentlicht.
When Merlyn the magician comes to tutor Sir Ector's sons Kay and the Wart, schoolwork suddenly becomes much more fun. After all, who wouldn't enjoy being turned into a fish, or a badger, or a snake? But Merlyn has very particular plans for the Wart. This is the children's story of King Arthur's childhood which was the basis for the still popular Disney cartoon of the same title.
A lot of contemporary fantasy especially of the cinematic variety owes a huge debt to this one it seems to me. Maybe perhaps because it's White's first effort on the Arthurian thing, there's a simple delight to the beautiful language presented here. Clearly intended for younger audiences, but impossible for older readers to not enjoy with equal measure.
