This is a very famous epic poem from Medieval France, sometimes even called the “National Epic” of France. But in reading it… I have no idea why. I wouldn’t call it a good story that I’d recommend. The basics of the story itself were interesting: Charlemagne’s Army, in returning to France from the wars in Muslim Spain, has the hero Roland and his peers guarding them in the rear. They are attacked by the Muslim forces, and most of the story is Roland and his group’s heroic last stand to protect the rest of Charlemagne’s army. So it’s a heroic last stand story, similar to 300. What’s not to like about that? Basically, the portrayal of Muslims and non-Europeans is just terribly hateful. Distractingly so. And it’s often blatantly racist. On top of that: the heroic feats of the main characters become just unrealistic, almost like superheroes. Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this. El Cid, a similar epic poem from medieval Spain, has a much more developed, respectful, and just interesting take on this subject matter.

Also, this translation felt very awkward and un-poetic. It’s difficult to translate poetry, but I have seen it done much better than this.

Would still recommend reading this for purely historical pursuits, however. If someone desires to look into the literature (good and bad) of the medieval era, this is still a very significant text.