NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Celebrated poet and priest Malcolm Guite’s bestselling Rabbit Room Press title Galahad and the Grail has been awarded the 2026 Parnassus Prize, it was recently announced. Presented during the Memoria National Conference in Louisville, Kentucky, earlier this month, the Parnassus Prize—inspired by Tracy Lee Simmons’ Climbing Parnassus: A New Apologia for Greek and Latin—is annually bestowed by Memoria College upon a recently published book that best contributes to the cultivation of the Western liberal arts tradition.
The only fiction title among this year’s Parnassus Prize nominees, Galahad and the Grail is the debut release in Guite’s Merlin’s Isle: An Arthuriad series—the first multi-volume poetic retelling of Arthurian legend published in nearly two centuries. In addition to Galahad and the Grail, the 2026 Parnassus Prize shortlist included Why Literature Still Matters, by Jason M. Baxter; Christian Paideia, Vol. 1: A History of Christian Education to 500 AD, by Brian Welter; Guide to the Science of Reading: Translating Research to Reignite Joy and Meaning in the Classroom, by Doug Lemov, Colleen Driggs, and Erica Woolway; Truth Matters: A Dialogue on Fruitful Disagreement in an Age of Division, by Robert P. George and Cornel West; and Passing the Torch: An Apology for Classical Christian Education, by Louis Markos.
Gleaning high praise from critics and fans alike, Galahad and the Grail was a near sell-out even before its April 20 release and reached the Top 50 on Amazon’s overall “Best Sellers in Books” chart earlier this spring. Hailed “a magnum opus in the making,” the volume tells of the legendary quest for the Holy Grail as reimagined through the eyes of the virtuous knight Galahad. Hallmarked by Guite’s profound insights on courage, honor, and the spiritual journey, Galahad and the Grail features more than 25 illustrations from award-winning artist Stephen Crotts.
ABOUT MALCOLM GUITE
A poet, priest, and Girton College Life Fellow at Cambridge University, Malcolm Guite lectures widely in the United Kingdom and North America on theology and literature. Characterized by his deep engagement with the Christian faith, a love of traditional poetic forms, and the ability to make ancient wisdom accessible to contemporary readers, Guite is the bestselling author of numerous works of nonfiction and poetry, including Sounding the Seasons: 70 Sonnets for the Christian Year (Canterbury Press), which is now in its 10th printing; David’s Crown (Canterbury Press 2021); and Mariner: A Voyage with Samuel Taylor Coleridge (Hodder 2017).
ABOUT RABBIT ROOM PRESS
Along with the bestselling series Merlin’s Isle: An Arthuriad by Malcolm Guite and Every Moment Holy by Douglas Kaine McKelvey, Rabbit Room Press is home to a diversity of acclaimed fiction and nonfiction titles, including Glad & Golden Hours by Lanier Ivester; Jonathan Rogers’ The Wilderking Trilogy; and Randall Goodgame’s Scripture Hymnal. The Nashville-based publishing house is part of The Rabbit Room, a multi-faceted creative community birthed in 2007 by award-winning singer/songwriter and author Andrew Peterson to create and curate stories, music, and other expressions of art to nourish the life of Christ-centered communities.
ABOUT MEMORIA COLLEGE
Louisville, Kentucky-based Memoria College was founded in 2020 to offer a broad and meaningful encounter with the Great Books and culture of Western civilization through affordable, accessible higher education. Offering master’s level classes for current and future Christian educators, Memoria College students study the fundamental texts of philosophy, literature, theology, psychology, history, economics, and science.
For further information, visit merlinsisle.com, rabbitr
