''Der Heilige'' (The Saint; 1879) is a short

historical novel Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...

Conrad F. Meyer Conrad Ferdinand Meyer (11 October 1825 – 28 November 1898) was a Swiss poet and historical novelist, a master of literary realism who is mainly remembered for stirring narrative ballads like "Die Füße im Feuer" (The Feet in the Fire). Biog ...

derived from the story of

Thomas Becket Thomas Becket (), also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London and later Thomas à Becket (21 December 1119 or 1120 – 29 December 1170), was an English nobleman who served as Lord Chancellor from 1155 to 1162, and then ...

and

Henry II of England Henry II (5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189), also known as Henry Curtmantle (french: link=no, Court-manteau), Henry FitzEmpress, or Henry Plantagenet, was King of England from 1154 until his death in 1189, and as such, was the first Angevin king ...

Description

The novel is about the length of ''

Silas Marner ''Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe'' is the third novel by George Eliot. It was published in 1861. An outwardly simple tale of a linen weaver, the novel is notable for its strong realism and its sophisticated treatment of a variety of issues ...

'', and is centered on the great quarrel between Henry II and his Chancellor and Primate of England, Thomas Becket. Although in a broad sense based on history, its psychology is fancifully developed from a medieval legend found by Meyer in 1853 in

Thierry Thierry is a French male given name, derived from the Germanic "Theodoric". It is the cognate of German " Dietrich" and " Dieter", English Terry, Derek and Derrick, and of various forms in other European languages. It is also a surname. People w ...

's ''Histoire de la Conquête de l'Angleterre par les Normands'' (History of the Conquest of England by the Normans; 1825, Book IX), according to which Becket was the son of an Englishman and of the sister of the Kalif of Cordova. The story of Henry's amours with beautiful Rosamond Clifford in the hidden bower suggested the secret palace in which Meyer's Becket rears his daughter Grace to save her from royal lechery. The accidental slaying of Grace after her seduction by the king inspires in Becket a deep-laid plot for revenge under the veil of pretended loyalty and later of saintly devotion when he becomes Primate on Henry's nomination, whereby he drives the king to alternate fits of despair and fury over the loss of political advantages and of the love of his queen and sons. The tragic ending is historical. The story is put in the mouth of a Swiss bowman, who is supposed to have come on his wanderings to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, where he entered the service of the king and was a minor actor in all the events he relates. The style is vivid, swift and powerful, and the diction of wonderful force and color, suggestive of a

Gobelin tapestry The Gobelins Manufactory () is a historic tapestry factory in Paris, France. It is located at 42 avenue des Gobelins, near Les Gobelins métro station in the 13th arrondissement of Paris. It was originally established on the site as a medieva ...

, or as

Keller Keller may refer to: People *Keller (surname) * Helen Keller *Keller Williams, jam-band musician *Keller E. Rockey Places India * Keller, Shopian United States *Keller, Georgia *Keller, Indiana *Keller, Texas * Keller, Virginia *Keller, Washingt ...

said, “brocade.” It is Meyer's most finished production, possibly his best. The English reader will find it curious to compare it with

Tennyson Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of his ...

's ''Becket''.

Editions

The 66th printing appeared in

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...

in 1913. Carl E. Eggert has edited the American School Edition (New York, 1907, with critical introduction).

Description

Editions

Notes

Further reading