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Porius: A Romance of the Dark Ages
''Porius: A Romance of the Dark Ages'' is a 1951 historical romance by John Cowper Powys. Set in the Dark Ages during a week of autumn 499 AD, this novel is, in part, a bildungsroman, with the adventures of the eponymous protagonist Porius, heir to the throne of Edeyrnion, in North Wales, at its centre. The novel draws from both Arthurian legend and Welsh history and mythology, with Myrddin (Merlin) as another major character. The invasion of Wales by the Saxons and the rise of the new religion of Christianity are central themes.
==Background==
John Cowper Powys (1872–1963) initially established his literary reputation on the basis of four long novels, his Wessex novels.〔Powys was an admirer of Thomas Hardy and these novels are set in Somerset and Dorset part of Hardy's mythical Wessex. Richard Maxwell describes these four novels "as remarkably successful with the reading public of his time". "Two Canons: On the Meaning of Powys's Relation to Scott and his Turn to Historical Fiction", ''Western Humanities Review'', vol. LVII, no. 1, Spring 2003,p. 103.〕 The last of these ''Maiden Castle'' was begun in Dorchester, Dorset, near where Hardy had lived, after Powys had returned from the USA, with his lover, Phyllis Playter, in 1934. However, in July, 1935 they moved to the village of Corwen, Denbighshire, North Wales, historically part of Edeirnion or Edeyrnion and an ancient commote of medieval Wales, where he completed ''Maiden Castle'' (1936).〔Morine Krissdóttir, ''A Descents of Memory''. New York: Overlook Duckworth, 2007, p.323.〕 Edeirnion was nominally once a part of the Kingdom of Powys. This move to the land of his ancestors led Powys to writing the first of two historical novels set in this region of Wales, Owen Glendower, which was completed in 1939, published in the USA in 1941 and Britain in 1942.〔Issued 24 January 1941 in the USA and 6 February 1942 in the UK (not published in 1940 and 1941 as shown in the texts). Dante Thomas, ''A Bibliography of the Principal Writings of John Cowper Powys'', unpublished Ph.D thesis (State University of New York at Albany, 1971), pp.54–6.〕
Then in 1940 he began a new novel set in contemporary Corwen〔''Descents of Memory'', p.350.〕 but soon gave it up, to start his "Romance of Corwen", ''Porius'', subtitled "a Romance of the Dark Ages" in January 1942.〔''Descents of Memory'', p.351〕 This, initially, was to have been about the Roman, stoic philosopher Boethius.〔''Descents of Memory'', p.351.〕 However, Boethius never even appears and it was not completed until seven years later, in February, 1949.〔Judith Bond and Morine Krissdóttir, "Editorial Notes" to ''Porius''. New York: Overlook Duckworth, 2007, p.11.〕 Between 1942 and 1951 Powys, however, published five non-fiction works: ''Mortal Strife'' (1942), ''The Art of Growing Old'' (1944), ''Dostoievsky'' (1946), ''Obstinate Cymric: Essays 1935–1947'' (1947), and ''Rabelais'' (1948). Powys initially submitted ''Porius'' to Simon and Schuster his American publishers, publisher of all his previous major novels, from ''Wolf Solent'' (1929) to ''Owen Glendower'' (). But they rejected it as "indecypherable and overwritten".〔Michael Ballin, "A Certain Combination of Realism and Magic: Notes on the Publishing History of ''Porius''". ''Powys Notes'' 7:2, Fall and Winter 1992, p.13.〕 He had also sent a typescript to his English publisher, The Bodley Head. They, however, "refused to consider it, unless it was reduced by one third".〔"Editorial Notes" to ''Porius'' (2007), p. 11, and Morine Krissdóttir, ''Descents of Memory'', pp. 388–92.〕 This he did, reducing a typescript of 1589 pages to 999; however, Bodley Head made such "an insultingly small offer" that Powys rejected it. Finally Eric Harvey of Macdonald and Co. came to his rescue, but it was the abridged version that was published in 1951.〔"Editorial Notes to ''Porius'' (2007), p. 12.〕 More recently two new editions of ''Porius'' have been published in the attempt to reach Powys's original intention, with the use of the original manuscripts. The first, edited by Wilbur T. Albrecht, was published in 1994 by the Colgate University Press.〔See ''Powys Notes'' vol. 10, no.1, Fall and Winter 1995〕 This edition was, however, heavily criticized, and in 2007 Judith Bond and Morine Krissdóttir edited another version, published by Overlook Duckworth.〔See for example, essays by Charles Lock and Richard Maxwell, in ''Powys Notes'' vol. 10, no.1, Fall and Winter 1995.〕
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