Celtic literature - Traditional literature, Modern literature

The indigenous literatures of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, as well as some Cornish texts from the 15th-c (including the three biblical plays comprising the Ordinalia). There is also an extensive literature in the Breton language, consisting of saints' lives, plays, comic pieces, folk tales, and ballads. This comes mainly from the Middle Breton (12th–17th-c) and Modern Breton periods, the latter dating from 1659 with the regularization of Breton spelling by Julien Maunoir. Despite 18th-c and 19th-c neglect and even opposition, in the 20th-c there was a revival of interest in the Celtic languages and literatures, which has continued to grow.

Celtic literature may be literature about Celts, or elements of Irish literature, British literature or Celtic-influenced literature from elsewhere. Although often written in English, Celtic literature may be composed in Celtic languages: Irish, Welsh, Cornish, Manx, Scottish Gaelic and Breton or their older forms;

For information on the development of particular national literatures, see: Irish literature, Scottish literature, Welsh literature, Literature in Cornish, Breton literature and Manx literature.

Traditional literature

Some surviving Celtic texts concern stories about deities, some about mythology and some about more mundane matters. British sourced Celtic literature is almost always based around the legend of King Arthur.

Surviving examples of Scottish literature from this period are inscriptions made by the Picts in stone.

Modern literature

The Gaelic Revival reintroduced Celtic themes into modern literature.

There have been modern texts based around Celtic literature. Other writers of Celtic literature in English include Dylan Thomas and Sian James.