A young boy grows up in the forest, in a deserted place, alone with his mother, who keeps him from the world. But one day he meets some knights, mistakes them for God, and hears of King Arthur. Curious, he sets off to discover the world and become a knight himself. As he leaves, his mother gives him a fool's costume and a cap with bells to protect her child from the world that stole her husband.
Lukas Bärfuss is one of the most important Swiss writers and playwrights of our time. He based his PARCIVAL on the medieval romance by Wolfram von Eschenbach, which tells of the title hero's development from naive youth in fool's garb to Grail King. Bärfuss's language lends the story a great deal of humour and a hint of absurdity. Above all, he poses the following question: Perceval discovers, asks questions, makes mistakes, despairs, learns, fails to understand – and yet he is the saviour. Why?