Product Description

Beowulf is the greatest surviving work of literature in Old English, unparalleled in its epic grandeur and scope. It tells the story of the heroic Beowulf and of his battles, first with the monster Grendel, who has laid waste to the great hall of the Danish king Hrothgar, then with Grendel's avenging mother, and finally with a dragon that threatens to devastate his homeland. Through its blend of myth and history, Beowulf vividly evokes a twilight world in which men and supernatural forces live side by side. And it celebrates the endurance of the human spirit in a transient world. "Alexander's translation is marked by a conviction that it is possible to be both ambitious and faithful [and] ...communicates the poem with a care which goes beyond fidelity-to-meaning and reaches fidelity of implication. May it go on ... to another half-million copies." - Tom Shippey, Bulletin of the International Association of University Professors of English

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #84057 in Books
• Published on: 2003-02-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

Book Information
Beowulf is the most important Old English poem and perhaps the most significant single survival from the Anglo-Saxon period.

Though its composition was completed in England in the eighth century, the poem is set in the heroic societies of a fifth-century Scandinavia. Against this background of feuding and feasting, the hero Beowulf kills Grendel and Grendel's mother, but in killing the Dragon is himself killed.

We have here something more than merely a heroic poem of historical interest: Beowulf has a truly epic quality and scope, and this verse translation successfully communicates the poem's artistry and eloquence.

About the Author
Michael Alexander is Berry Professor of English Literature at the University of St Andrews. For Penguin he has translated, 'The Earliest English Poems', 'The Canterbury Tales: The First Fragment', as well as a prose translation of BEOWULF. Michael Alexander is Berry Professor of English Literature at the University of St Andrews. For Penguin he has translated, 'The Earliest English Poems', 'The Canterbury Tales: The First Fragment', as well as a prose translation of BEOWULF.

Customer Reviews

How to Alienate People
I know for this review I have chosen an odd title, so let me explain. Beowulf is not hard to read, is not boring as most people would have you believe, and also is not very long. When I was in my adolescence I used to read the Lord of the Rings and thought it was the bee's knees, as most young people do. When the films came out, I read it again at a much older age, and found that really it was not so great. At this stage I came upon Beowulf and was instantly a fan, this is a saga that has it all, and also a book that is part of our heritage. If you still are unsure, remember that Paradise Lost and Beowulf are considered to have had a huge influence on J R R Tolkien. So grow up, put away the Lord of the Rings and read Beowulf, you won't be disappointed.

Which translation of Beowulf should you read?
I'm sorry, but I think Seamus Heaney's translation is vastly inferior to this one. For Michael Alexander, a sword bites flesh; for Heaney a sword cuts flesh, can you see the difference? For Heaney there's a rumble underground. It sounds to me as though Heaney's house is probably built above the Northern Line.