Thomas Wayne is an English Professor at Florida SouthWestern State College in Fort Myers. He has published several poetic translations with Algora, including classics by Nietzsche, Hermann Hesse and Goethe.

His approach in translating the Middle English Sir Gawain and the iconoclastic German powerhouses is to return the juice the authors originally intended, with all their dynamic energy. In his hands, poetry is elegant and hard-hitting, not dainty and dull.

The legendary King Arthur and his most chivalrous knight, Sir Gawain, star in this classic Middle English romantic poem relating a haunting tale of temptation. This action-filled tale breathes with the hot-blooded passion of the hunt,...

The legendary King Arthur and his most chivalrous knight, Sir Gawain, star in this classic Middle English romantic poem relating a haunting tale of temptation. This action-filled tale breathes with the hot-blooded passion of the hunt, alternating interior scenes where the tension is internal — reputation and soul are at stake — with outdoor scenes weaving through the wilds of the North, where life is on the line. Can any hero muster the fierce self mastery that is essential to overcome all one's instincts, when one must go forward and equally when one must hold back?

The work combines Christian themes with earlier literary traditions, and it illustrates the classic values of chivalry. Prof. Wayne emulates the original poet's style, admired for its use of strong physical and visual imagery, alliteration and internal rhymes, and the metrical form called the "bob and wheel." Wit and wile, fear and daring dance throughout the pages.