Jaume Alcoy Riera

The BEST Book in the World, Armored Duels in “Tirant Lo Blanc”

Joanot Martorell, a XVth century writer and knight, wrote his magnum opus in the 1460s, a book that could be nowadays described as historical fiction: Tirant Lo Blanc. The author, who in life challenged various individuals to single combat, describes many duels, skirmishes and battles with the level of detail only a man who lived through such times could muster. The novel was praised by contemporaries and later authors for it’s realism, most notably, Miguel de Cervantes who labelled it as “the best book in the world”.
Any Hemaist seeking to better understand medieval fighting or writer in search for inspiration should find it’s content inspiring.