Sam Davey is the author of the new novel The Chosen Queen. She works at London's Royal Opera House and is the founder of the Hastings Book Festival. She lives on the southeast coast of England.
Q: What inspired you to write this retelling of the story of King Arthur’s mother?
A: Igraine’s story has always fascinated me, and the more I have reflected on it, the more angered I have become that she has frequently in the past been relegated to little more than a footnote in the narrative.
Igraine is the mother of three of the major players in the Camelot Saga – Morgause, Morgan, and, of course, Arthur – and to me the relationship between these four is as deep and cataclysmic as any of those told in the classic Greek tragedies.
As a result of death of Gorlois and the rape of Igraine, a blood feud is set in train, which continues to play out in the later stories, with the incestuous birth of Mordred and the vendettas that ultimately rip Camelot asunder.
I really wanted to go right to the beginning, to look at the origins of Camelot and to delve into the detail of Igraine’s story. tell She was a force to be reckoned with – a princess and leader in her own right, beautiful, talented, and clearly a person who captivated and enchanted those who met her.
But consider how she was treated – because she refused to do as she was told; to ignore her ethics and betray her emotional integrity. She was deceived, abandoned, raped, and manipulated – and to add insult to injury, in almost every other telling of the story, her tale is just a throw-away line about Uther assuming the form of Igraine’s husband Gorlois, and a baby being conceived.
Igraine’s story deserved to be told.
Q: What do you think accounts for the ongoing fascination with Camelot and its characters?
A: I believe there are a number of reasons.
Firstly, I think the time in which they are set plays a big part – we still know so very little about the so-called Dark Ages – that part of British history after the Romans left the Islands in 410 AD, and before the Norman Conquest in 1066.
Certain figures in the Camelot sagas are historical and verifiable – such as Uther Pendragon’s supposed father, Constantine, and his putative brother, Aurelius Ambrosius, but most of the characters who populate the tales are legendary.
This means that there is always an uncertainty about what may or may not be true – and I think that helps to maintain the fascination as I think we all like to believe (if only a little bit) in the possibility of magic and miracles.
The stories themselves are also remarkably engaging and exciting. They are tales of romance and chivalry, love and destiny – questing beasts, enchanted castles, magical swords, and star-crossed lovers.
At the heart of the stories is the age-old battle between good and evil, and the stories borrow from so many ancient Celtic tales and traditions and have been told and retold over the centuries, bringing new interpretations and life for each generation.
Q: The writer Sophie Perinot said of the book, and of Igraine, “Hers is a story of a woman rising to stark challenges and refusing to be a puppet to others. It is a story heartbreakingly relevant to the present...” What do you think of that description?
A: Sophie Perinot is a wonderful writer and I am hugely grateful to her – and I think that in terms of Igraine’s story being heartbreakingly relevant to us today, I can do nothing but agree. At the heart of it is the deception and violence meted out to her by Uther, at the instigation and coercive control of Merlin and Vivian.
It seems to me that there are terrible parallels here with the appalling events which have recently come to light in France – like Gisele Pelicot, Igraine was betrayed, manipulated, and abused – and her decisions to chose for herself, her courage in refusing to submit or to be shamed, resonate strongly with the remarkable bravery shown by Giselle Pellicot.
The use of rape as a weapon of war has always been an abomination – and it is deeply shocking and saddening that it is still used as such in the 21st century.
Adding to Igraine’s tragedy, she was also forced to bear a child as a result of her violation, and to suffer the loss of her two daughters – one sent away to keep her safe because of war, the other taken from her very much as a punishment because of Igraine’s refusal to conform.
These are truly terrible things, and to understand them is to understand the darkness that underpins all the Camelot stories – but which is also a darkness that we sadly see all around us – in Ukraine, in Gaza, in Syria – and countless other places.
Q: What do you hope readers take away from the novel?
A: Primarily, I would like readers to begin to consider these stories from another perspective, beginning not with the Sword in the Stone, but going much further back, with the Pendragon Prophecies and the pivotal role of Igraine.
The book is also about choices and integrity, recognising that it is frequently not easy to be true to yourself. I can only hope that Igraine’s story may help other women strengthen their resolve and help them build resilience, and find the strength to move away from coercive and abusive relationships.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: The Chosen Queen is the first in a series of books retelling the Camelot sagas from a feminist perspective, exploring the familial relationships between Igraine, her children, and her children’s children.
I am currently working on the second book – set some years in the future. Morgause is Queen of the Northern Isles and mother of four sons – Gawaine, Agravaine, Gareth, and Gaheris; Morgan is about to succeed Vivian as Lady of the Lake in Avalon, and following the death of Uther Pendragon, an unknown boy is about to pull a sword from a stone and plunge the kingdom yet again into civil war.
I am focussing very much on the emerging relationships between the three siblings – separated when young, raised with little or no hands-on parental affection or guidance, and driven by deep underlying enmities and ambitions.
Inspired by the earliest telling of the Camelot sagas, my story will expose some of the less well-known aspects of the early years of Arthur’s reign, including the incestuous conception of Mordred, and the terrible steps that Arthur – at Merlin’s instigation – is prepared to take to secure and maintain his crown.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: I would just like to thank you for this opportunity to share my thoughts with you – and I hope you and your readers enjoy The Chosen Queen.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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