When Galahad was still a child, 
they let him run full free
and roam the castle holds and halls 
and hear the minstrelsy.

So begins Malcolm Guite’s new book, Galahad and the Grail.

Who is Galahad? And what will he do?

For one thing, he’ll pull an enchanted sword from a solid block of red marble when no one else can. He’ll become one of the knights of King Arthur’s Round Table. He’ll heal a broken land. He’ll bring good from evil. But we won’t tell you much more. We want you to read his story yourself. Or have someone read it to you. Mr. Guite wrote the book in a poetry form called a ballad. Ballads are poetic stories meant to be read aloud—or even sung.

The new book was published in April by Rabbit Room Press. Artist Stephen Crotts made the intricate illustrations. This first book starts Mr. Guite’s Arthuriad—an epic poem about the King Arthur legends.

WORLDkids talked with Mr. Guite on a video call. He lives in North Walsham, Norfolk County, England. There, he works as an Anglican priest and author. He especially likes to write by hand using a fountain pen. 

Mr. Guite was just a kid when he became fascinated with Arthurian legend. He learned the ancient tales from his mom. He plans to complete three more volumes of his Arthuriad in the next few years before he turns 70.

WORLDkids: How do you typically introduce yourself?

Mr. Guite: Most frequently I say I’m a poet and priest. I could add in a third p and say I’m a professor as well. 

WORLDkids: Can you describe your writing day? 

Mr. Guite: I ask people to read my poems out loud to really get what’s going on in them because the poems in fact start on the tongue and in the ear. I usually get the first lines of a poem when I’m out for a walk.

WORLDteen: What do you wish Christians knew about Christian literature, and specifically about Arthur?

Mr. Guite: My mother just knew instinctively that the gospel was there in the great stories. . . . I think the story of Galahad and the Grail particularly is a story about grace . . . grace to us when we’re still sinners.

While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. — Romans 5:8

Why? The great stories of the world point back to the Creator and the gospel story.