Beowulf: An Anglo-Saxon Epic Poem: Bestsellers and famous Books

By Lesslie Hall

It may be the oldest surviving long poem in Old English and is commonly cited as one of the most important works of Old English literature. A date of composition is a matter of contention among scholars; the only certain dating pertains to the manuscript, which was produced between 975 and 1025. The author was an anonymous Anglo-Saxon poet, referred to by scholars as the "Beowulf poet".
The poem is set in Scandinavia. Beowulf, a hero of the Geats, comes to the aid of Hrothgar, the king of the Danes, whose mead hall in Heorot has been under attack by a monster known as Grendel. After Beowulf slays him, Grendel's mother attacks the hall and is then also defeated. Victorious, Beowulf goes home to Geatland and later becomes king of the Geats. After a period of fifty years has passed, Beowulf defeats a dragon, but is fatally wounded in the battle. After his death, his attendants cremate his body and erect a tower on a headland in his memory.
The full poem survives in the manuscript known as the Nowell Codex, located in the British Library. It has no title in the original manuscript, but has become known by the name of the story's protagonist. In 1731, the manuscript was badly damaged by a fire that swept through Ashburnham House in London that had a collection of medieval manuscripts assembled by Sir Robert Bruce Cotton.

• Language: English
• Publisher: anboco
• Release date: Oct 27, 2016
• ISBN: 9783736417410

Book preview

Reviews for Beowulf

[cjrecordvt-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A very strong and stylistically-rendered parallel translation.

[nch05 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I would not have understood it or liked it had I read it on my own, but by reading it in class with explanations I thought it was facinating.

[john257hopper · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a great, stirring epic, with perhaps some roots in the real history of the founding of the Swedish nation. I have never read any other version to compare this with, but Burton Raffel's 1963 translation reads well to me, and actually makes you want to read on to find out what happens next.

[laphenix · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A fun read with a distanced narrative that reduces tension.

[bryndahlquis · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was very surprised at the ease with which I read this great epic poem. I expected it to be very hard to get through and keep focused on, but it's actually a very straightforward story. Lots of action, and lots and lots of random little stories thrown in.This is the only version of Beowulf I've read, but from the snippets I've seen of other versions, this would probably be my favorite.

[pferdina · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

If you are like me, you haven't read Beowulf since high school and your memory of the story is probably pretty bad. I found reading this translation very enjoyable, and I loved having the "original" version printed opposite the translation (even though I couldn't read it).

[justagirlwithabook · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I had to read Beowulf in high school my senior year (we did a bit on the middle ages and its literature). I think I wouldn't have liked this as much as I did if it hadn't been for my instructor. She made the story come to life and provided our class with all sorts of history of the UK (pre-UK) and its countries and people. It was reminiscent in many ways to Odysseus and I enjoyed it overall.

[joe73-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Incredible, Epic. I would love to have a time machine and go back to the first time this was told in a mead hall with the outer dark and cold winds pushing on the back of the speaker.

[unclebob53703 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Nice, readable prose translation of the epic poem--not sure I would have read it otherwise. My Granny Giroux saw this and said "You bought that because of the cover!" and I couldn't argue.

[soradsauce_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

If you ever need to read anything in translation that Heaney has done, DO IT. He keeps the feel of the original texts and is absolutely astounding at modernizing ancient texts without diverting from the original.

[arctic1stranger · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a great way to cash in on the recent movie. Heaney's version is readable, and his translation flows very well. There are not a lot of unneccessary flourishes here, which works well for Beowulf. It, like the hero, is a sturdy translation. The introductory essay is good.

[wickenden-285487 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very fun telling.

[jspringbrinkley · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I've read different translations, this one is my favorite. Take your time reading it, let yourself be taken back to a time when the edges of the Earth were unknown and the sea was a place of monsters and myth. A good story takes you on an adventure, and this an adventure I've taken several times and it never gets old.

[harahel_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Seamus Heaney's translation captures the soul of Old English without belaboring the point. Very enjoyable.

[josephlyoung · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Interesting collection of hero stories of ancient Scandinavian origin. While reading, I noticed ring references that may be the source for the magic rings featured in J.R.R. Tolkien"s Hobbit stories and the dark creatures used by Tolkien and in Rowling's Harry Potter Books. Good background for understanding many of the classic English Literature references. Slow reading because of strange name spellings and use of Old English. I think it is worth the effort or at least it was for me.

[indreamsawake · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Read this in two different college classes, the first with a terrible professor and I hated it, the second time with a wonderful professor and I loved it! There is something to be said for teaching style.

[sasham-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I would have loved to have a glossary with in this book with a few explanations of some words and maybe a summary because the poetical form can make the story hard to follow

[ulfhjorr · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A great epic, and Heaney's translation is a joy to read.

[tldegray-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A beautiful translation.

[ksmyth_18 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed the Heaney translation. I read Beowulf in my first year of college many years ago, and the story didn't hang together. This translation did an incredible job of making the story come alive like a 21st century adventure novel. Highly reccommended.

[josephtate_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent, excellent translation.

[scottcholstad · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Yes, a classic, I know. And not bad. But not my favorite, nor one of the best, I think. Still, recommended.

[justlance · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have read many translations and this is my favorite. I love the poem/story of Beowulf and read it often. This is not only an excellent translation, but it is such an easy to read version that I must give it 5 stars. Read this version and enjoy a true classic tale that will keep you interested from start to finish.

[lynnb_64 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Many reviewers say this isn't the best translation of Beowulf; I wouldn't know as it is the only one I've read. I think Mr. Heaney has written an accessible translation that brings the imagery of the times to life and shows well aspects of Viking society, such as the loyalty to kings, the importance of rewarding your men, and the need to prove yourself brave and valiant. I am not surprised this has become a standard text for these reasons.

[roguebelle · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love Heaney's translation, but for me, the real gemlike quality of this text is the matching Old English printed on the opposite pages -- it's just too much fun (at least if you're a lit geek like me)!

[ostrom_2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was the first translation of Beowulf I read, and I still like it.

[loganbuttram330 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I chose this poetry book because I really enjoyed reading this book in high school. I think this book is very important to students in the classroom because it helps broaden there experience in different types of literature. I think that students will find this book very interesting. I also feel that they may understand the book better if they watch the movie first so that they can get a better mental image of how the story unfolds and the stories purpose.

[antiquary_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Adequate but not nearly as good as I expected from his prize and some reviews. Occasionally jarring for informality or anachronism

[librarygirl66 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Graphic novel adaptation of the Old English epic poem, Beowulf.

[csayban · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Sigh. I know, I know. This is the oldest English language story and the inspiration for The Lord of the Rings and Chuck Norris Beowulf is such a monster killing machine and… That’s great. Unfortunately, if you take all that away and someone wrote it now it would be a painfully predictable, plodding bore filled with WAY too much expository dialog and a list of characters that are neigh impossible to follow – except for Chuck Beowulf who bench-press mountains and sneezes lightning. This was arduous to try and get through – Shakespeare on Ritalin kind of arduous – because there was never a single doubt about what was going to happen or any emotional stake in the characters. I do enjoy reading difficult pieces of fiction. However, difficult and boring is a really bad combination. I know I’m supposed to like things like this, but I missed the boat on this one.