Grains of Gold - An Anthology of Occitan Literature,
by James Thomas (Ed), Francis Boutle Publishers, 2015,
775 pages, paperback, ISBN 978 1 903427 880

This anthology is essential reading for anyone interested in Occitan literature, whether they know Occitan or not. A wide range of works are given in both Occitan and English translation.

Occitan, the language of the Troubadours, was the first postclassical literary language of Europe. It is more familiar to some under its old names - the Langue d'Oc and Provençal, and less well known under its medieval name the "Roman tongue" from which we derive our word "romance". Romantic love and romantic stories were both medieval inventions of the Occitan-speaking world.

This compilation represents a broad sweep of historical Occitan, from the time of Guilhem IX (1086-1127), Duke of Aquitaine, right up to the twenty-first century. It includes works by Troubadours and Trobairitz (women troubadours); prose works including medieval chronicles, statutes, charters; and even Cathar rites. You will find works by all the best known troubadours, as well as works in Occitan and about Occitan by some unexpected writers including Dante, Rabelais, Nostradamus, John Locke, Simon Weil, and Ezra Pound. There are whole sections on the Felibridge movements, including one on Frèdèric Mistral (who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1904 for his work in Occitan) and the Avignon Felibridge.

The first language of King Richard I, the Lionheart, was not English or French, but Occitan. Richard, like a number of other kings, was a troubadour, though his and their works are not included here, perhaps because they were not good enough. In the world of Occitan, literary ability is everything. Status and fame are of no consequence at all. Counts and countesses are included, and so are those from labouring classes, if their poetry excels. Welcome to the egalitarian world of Cathars and Troubadours.

The book has a good but all-too-short introduction, a useful bibliography, but no index, though this is compensated for by a detailed contents section.

Highly recommended.

The World of the Troubadours

Linda M. Paterson

The Music of the Troubadours

Elizabeth Aubrey 

Eleanor of Aquitaine, Courtly Love, and the Troubadour...

Ffiona Swabey 

Ermengard of Narbonne and the World of the Troubadours

Frederic L Cheyette

Despite its academic genesis, this is a wonderful book dealing with the world of Occitania - the Occitan culture, the Counts of Toulouse and other local rulers, the Troubadours and even the Cathars. The author manages to combine the highest standards of scholarship with a sense of wonder and deep affection for his subject. Highly recommended.

Hardcover: 474 pages , black & while illustrations
Publisher: Cornell University Press (29 Nov 2001)
Language English
ISBN-10: 0801439523
ISBN-13: 978-0801439520
Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.9 x 1.5 inches

The Troubadours

Simon Gaunt 

Songs of the Women Troubadours

Laurie Shepard

The Women Troubadours

Magda Bogin

The Literary History Of The Troubadours

M. Saint Palaye.

The Troubadours

H., J. Chaytor.

Lexique Roman ou Dictionnaire de la langue des troubad...

Francois Juste Marie Raynouard

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