T. H. White, The Once and Future King

Gabriel Schenk (Signum University)

Ed. by Dimitra Fimi, University of Glasgow
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.09: English Writing and Culture: Postwar and Contemporary Britain , 1945-present.
Vol. editors: Gina Lyle (University of York), Graham MacPhee (University of Manchester), Kerry Myler (Birmingham Newman University), Andrew Radford (University of Glasgow), Jenni Ramone (The Nottingham Trent University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1959

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Fantasy
Novel
Romance

Resources

The Once and Future King (1958) is an omnibus novel written by English author T.H. White (1906–1964). It is an Arthurian retelling made up of four, or sometimes five, books that cover King Arthur’s life from childhood to his final battle. It was first published as a tetralogy in 1958, although the constituent parts were written between 1937 and 1941, with sections revised in 1957.

Composition and Publication

The first book that forms The Once and Future King, The Sword in the Stone, was published in 1938. White describes this novel, and his inspiration to write it, in a letter to his friend L.J. Potts on January 14^th of that year:

It is a preface to Malory. Do you remember I once wrote a thesis on the Morte d’Arthur?

Naturally I did not read Mallory...

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2926 words

Citation: Schenk, Gabriel. "The Once and Future King". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 24 June 2020 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=22890, accessed 09 June 2026.]