 First edition | |
| Author | John Cowper Powys |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Historical romance |
| Publisher | Macdonald & Company, London |
Publication date | 1951 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Preceded by | Owen Glendower (1941) |
| Followed by | The Inmates (1952) |
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. Due to the demands of publishers and a paper shortage in Britain, Powys was forced to excise more than 500 pages from the 1951 version. It wasn't until 2007 that the full novel, as Powys intended his magnum opus to be, was published both in Britain and America.