In his Parzival he claims he is illiterate and recorded the work by dictation, though the claim is treated with scepticism by scholars.

Wolfram's work indicates a number of possible patrons (most reliably Hermann I of Thuringia), which suggests that he served at a number of courts during his life. The arms shown in the Manesse manuscript come from the imagination of a 14th-century artist, drawing on the figure of the Red Knight in Parzival, and have no heraldic connection with Wolfram. However, the evidence is circumstantial and not without problems - there are at least four other places named Eschenbach in present-day Bavaria, and Wolframs-Eschenbach was not part of Bavaria in Wolfram's time.

This and a number of geographical references have resulted in the present-day Wolframs-Eschenbach, previously Obereschenbach, near Ansbach in Bavaria, being officially designated as his birthplace. In Parzival he talks of wir Beier ('we Bavarians') and the dialect of his works is East Franconian. There are no historical documents which mention him, and his works are the sole source of evidence. As a Minnesinger, he also wrote lyric poetry. Wolfram von Eschenbach was a German knight and poet, regarded as one of the greatest epic poets of his time. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

This edition also includes an index to proper names and a genealogical table, and is the first to combine Parzival with the fragments of Titurel.Ībout the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. The introduction places Eschenbach's work in the wider context of the development of the Arthurian romance and of the Grail legend. This fine translation, the first English version for over 25 years, conveys the power of this complex, wide-ranging medieval masterpiece. Exuberant and gothic in its telling, and profoundly moving, Parzival has inspired and influenced works as diverse as Wagner's Parsifal and Lohengrin, Terry Gilliam's film The Fisher King, and Umberto Eco's Bandolino.

It tells of Parzival's growth from youthful folly to knighthood at the court of King Arthur, and of his quest for the Holy Grail. Written in the first decade of the thirteenth century, Parzival is the greatest of the medieval Grail romances.

Parzival by Wolfram von Eschenbach