Beowulf is the longest and finest literary work to have come down to us from Anglo-Saxon times, and one of the world's greatest epic poems. Set in the half-legendary, half historical Scandinavian past, it tells the story of the hero Beowulf, who comes to the aid of the Danish king Hrothgar by killing first the terrifying, demonic monster Grendel, and then Grendel's infuriated and vengeful mother. A lifetime later, Beowulf's own kingdom, Geatland, is threatened by a fiery dragon; Beowulfheroically takes on this challenge, but himself dies killing the dragon. The poem celebrates the virtues of the heroic life, but Hrothgar and Beowulf are beacons of wisdom and courage in a dark world of feuds, violence and uncertainty, and Beowulf's selfless heroism is set against a background of ruthless power struggles, fratricide and tyranny. This acclaimed translation is complemented by a critical introduction and substantial editorial apparatus. `The poem has at last found itstranslator . . .supremely well done' Charles Causley
Beowulf (Oxford World's Classics): The Fight at Finnsburh
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"The poem has at last found its translator...supremely well done.--Charles Causley
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From the Publisher
map, time chart, genealogical table
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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4.2 out of 5 stars
4 reviews
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
An epic Anglo-Saxon poem of ancient days
Aug 5 2000
By Frank Bierbrauer
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
I was alerted to the existence of this epic poem through an animated version of it on TV one Sunday afternoon, not the usual cartoon-like presentation but a wondrous dark expression akin to Ridley Scott or the animation first used in the animated version of "The Lord of the Rings". This short feature was really quite superb and it gave me the impetus to buy a copy of it in book form. Similarly this translation by Crossley-Howard is wonderful in all its epic proportions, the Grendel, its mother and the struggle to defeat it. It is of course a heroic tale and the hero Beowulf is certainly in the classic mold after all it was poetry such as this and related tales eg The Iliad, Norse Sagas to name just two which originated the idea of the hero in present form. It must be remembered that this is an Anglo-Saxon tale at or around the 6th Century AD and as such based in Denamrk or Sweden rather than England (named after them of course). Strictly speaking it does not represent an aspect of English history rather a representation of Scandinavian life of the time. It may as such bear some resemblance to Norse sagas which were to yet to come some 300 or 400 years later. As a window on Ango-Saxon ife it does reveal some aspects such as the character of men and women or rather how they were supposed to be, similarly it shows that human affairs haven't really changed that much since then and the commonly held belief that ancient times were primitive in compasrison to today are mistaken. All aspects of human personality are present, such as greed, corruption, anger, heroism, kindness and so on. A wonderful read given a short time available.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
An epic Anglo-Saxon poem of ancient days
Aug 5 2000
By Frank Bierbrauer
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
I was alerted to the existence of this epic poem through an animated version of it on TV one Sunday afternoon, not the usual cartoon-like presentation but a wondrous dark expression akin to Ridley Scott direction or the animation first used in the animated version of "The Lord of the Rings". This short feature was really quite superb and it gave me the impetus to buy a copy of it in book form. Similarly, this translation by Crossley-Howard is wonderful in all its epic proportions, the Grendel, its mother and the struggle to defeat it. It is of course a heroic tale and the hero Beowulf is certainly in the classic mold after all it was poetry such as this and related tales eg The Illiad, Norse Sagas, to name just two which originated the idea of the hero in present form. It must be remembered that this is an Anglo-Saxon tale at or around the 6th Century AD and as such based in Denmark or Sweden rather than England (named after them of course). Strictly speaking it does not represent an aspect of English history rather a representation of Scandinavian life of the time. It may, as such, bear some resemblance to Norse sagas which were to yet to come some 300 or 400 years later. As a window on Anglo-Saxon life it does reveal some aspects such as the character of men and women or rather how they were supposed to be, similarly it shows that human affairs haven't really changed that much since then and the commonly held belief that ancient times were primitive in comparison to today are mistaken. All aspects of human personality are present, such as greed, corruption, anger, heroism, kindness and so on. A wonderful read if you are short on time.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
The penultimate Anglo-Saxon epic
Aug 29 2011
By Enjolras
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
[note: this is a review of the poem generally, not this particular translation]
Beowulf is one of those Medieval works of literature that many have heard about but few have read. However, it's worth reading, if only to experience a story so different from modern sensibilities. The poem extols Beowulf's physical courage and bravery against monsters and dragons. It's an odd mix of early Christian and warrior ethos. Beowulf is not a modern hero. There's not much to recommend him to modern readers - he's boastful, relies on brawn not brains, and his search for glory ends up putting his kingdom at risk. Still, it's fascinating to read this type of story and realize how far away it is from our own times.
Because this is a translation of an Anglo-Saxon poem, it's worth saying a word about the text itself. It's readable, but isn't smooth reading for the uninitiated. I'd say this - if you don't like reading English-language poetry, you probably won't enjoy reading this poem. If you do make the effort, I'd recommend really making the effort. Go slow and make sure you understand the story. Don't skip over a few lines thinking they're not as relevant.
Beowulf is one of those Medieval works of literature that many have heard about but few have read. However, it's worth reading, if only to experience a story so different from modern sensibilities. The poem extols Beowulf's physical courage and bravery against monsters and dragons. It's an odd mix of early Christian and warrior ethos. Beowulf is not a modern hero. There's not much to recommend him to modern readers - he's boastful, relies on brawn not brains, and his search for glory ends up putting his kingdom at risk. Still, it's fascinating to read this type of story and realize how far away it is from our own times.
Because this is a translation of an Anglo-Saxon poem, it's worth saying a word about the text itself. It's readable, but isn't smooth reading for the uninitiated. I'd say this - if you don't like reading English-language poetry, you probably won't enjoy reading this poem. If you do make the effort, I'd recommend really making the effort. Go slow and make sure you understand the story. Don't skip over a few lines thinking they're not as relevant.
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4.2 out of 5 stars
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