Sink the sword to the teeth

Since leaving King Arthur's court, the Fair Stranger has clashed with the Knight of Perilous Ford, two giants who wanted to rape a maiden, and three knights—Elin de Graies, the Lord of Saies, and Willaume de Salebrant—who have set out in search of adventure. He's also been thrashing with the Proud of the Moor because the maiden Helie has fallen in love with one of his hunting dogs and won't give it up: come, let's defend the maiden. And finally, he's had a go at Giflet, son of Do, to see which of the two maidens—Margerie, a girl he'd never met (he met her on the road), or Giflet's wife, Open Rose (who's a bit overdressed, as her name suggests)—is the fairer. The prize is a sparrowhawk on a golden perch.

Broken lances, pierced shields, unnailed breastplates, sword blows that send sparks flying and dent helmets, as many as you want. And we're still, as they say, in the group stage. The Beautiful Stranger sends the defeated knights to King Arthur's court (not the giants: he chops them up), sets Margerie with the dog and the sparrowhawk, and heads off to the Isle of Gold, where the Maid of the White Hands is held prisoner by a knight who has killed one hundred and forty-three earls and kings, cut off their heads, and has them on stakes, helmet and all. They beat each other up. The wood of their shields shatters, the points of their lances scrape the breastplate. With a single blow, the Beautiful Stranger cuts the laces of his rival's helmet and, taking advantage of the fact that his head is uncovered, plunges his sword into his head to the teeth. If you, loaded with iron like the Beautiful Stranger, were to do all this, you would need months to recover. But the fellow mounts a horse, enters the palace, is disarmed, and is led before the maiden, who wants to marry him. He's busy—he has to go to the Barren City to rescue a lady—and after trying to bed the Maiden of the White Hands (unsuccessfully), he sneaks away.

The Beautiful Unknown is a precursor to footballers and tennis players who play here today and there tomorrow.

Although it's a late 12th-century novel (Victoria Cirlot published in Siruela in 1983; Cal Carré is currently preparing a Catalan edition by Anton Espadaler), the plot is ultramodern. The Beautiful Stranger is a precursor to football and tennis players who are here today, gone tomorrow, play three matches a week, and, when they're done, spend an hour giving interviews. It's a precursor to the never-ending spectacle. And to the changing narrative of sports and, in general, of life. Until recently, we had a narrative similar to that of 19th-century novels: a series of events, with successes and failures, until retirement. Now everything starts over again each time without a connection (a good connection that leads to a happy ending). Each match is a world of its own. The models are cartoon series, sitcoms , and video games. And the Arthurian novels of the late 12th century.