Lucy Coats describes herself as ‘a multigenre children’s author, poet, blogger and mythoholic. I write in a small country garret overlooking fields of sheep. I have 3 dog foot-warmers under my desk who take me for walks when writing inspiration fails. If I do not write every day, my children call me a C.O.W (Cross Old Writer). This may or may not be true. I couldn’t possibly comment.’
I was brought up on myths and legends of all kinds, but Arthur was always my favourite. T.H. White’s classic ‘The Sword In The Stone’ tells of Wart, foster son of Sir Ector, who finds himself taught all kinds of strange lessons by Merlin, the eccentric tutor with a corkindrill hanging from his ceiling, and a shy talking owl who nibbles ears. The book is full of the kind of characters who remain memorable for me 40 years after first reading it. There’s Sir Pellinore, who carries the smelly fewmets (don’t ask) of the Questing Beast around with him at all times. There’s a wizard duel between Merlin and the appalling but irresistible Madam Mim which ends very unexpectedly with a dose of chicken-pox. Wart himself is a wide-eyed naif who has no idea of the great destiny which awaits him as the Once and Future King, and looks up to his foster-brother Kay’s knightly career as the epitome of what he can never hope to aspire to. How wrong he is about that!
For me, this is a book which I will come back to again and again for the rest of my life. The setting is medieval, but it feels somehow timeless-a snapshot of an age long gone but recreated anew every time it is re-read. It has been a huge influence on my own writing-the beast Gladysant in my novel ‘Hootcat Hill’ is a direct descendant of Pellinore’s Questing Beast, and my retelling of the ‘Sword in the Stone’ also pays tribute to White’s version. Disney made the film of the book–but it is not a patch on the original novel. I hope it will reach a whole new generation of readers through the wonderful One Book. Trust me, it deserves to!
- This is the Wikipedia page for The Sword in the Stone.
- Find out a bit more about T.H. White.
- You can buy a copy of this classic book here.
- If you fancy a used copy then go here.
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