Beowulf: A New Translation

Mentor Classics

by Unknown (Translator), Robert P. Creed (Contributor)

A Mentor Classic. Translated by Burton Raffel who also wrote the Introduction. Afterword by Robert P. Creed. The book, (written at the end of the 7th century, AD, was originally in Old English and is the oldest extant poem written in a modern European language.

Genres: Fiction

160 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1963

About the author

Books can be attributed to "Unknown" when the author or editor (as applicable) is not known and cannot be discovered. If at all possible, list at least one actual author or editor for a book instead of using "Unknown".

Books whose authorship is purposefully withheld should be attributed instead to Anonymous.

Reviews

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've realized that the nice thing about a ridiculously old poem is that it has to be so thoroughly translated that it becomes surprisingly readable with its updated language. I think this is a nice piece of storytelling that conveys a breadth of time in a compelling way. I think my experience was improved by the foreword, written by the translator, giving me lots of nice context before. Also, there's something so pleasing about seeing "The End" written on the page. Let's bring back "The End".

[Aitor · Rating 4 out of 5]

El héroe frente al dragón. Es una aventura épica que muestra los valores de la Inglaterra bajomedieval, aunque es una historia que hunde sus raíces en las brumas del tiempo, cuando los Anglos no habían abandonado el continente. Es curioso ver la mezcla de elementos paganos y cristianos. La única pega que le pongo es que se relatan sucesos históricos y se hace alusión a personajes o hechos de los que no tengo referencia y por ello hay partes que me ha costado mucho seguir (aunque las notas al pie han ayudado relativamente).

[Avery C. M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's not a lot of ratings for this translation, but it was my first experience with the story. If I ever decide or happen upon a different translation that is better, the rating may go down. As it is, I really enjoy the story, and the translation itself did not inhibit that enjoyment. It is simple, mythical, and intriguing.

[Kayli Blanchford · Rating 3 out of 5]

beowulf is the monster on a hill. grendel, grendel’s mom, and wiglaf are all sexy babies

[Judith the Book Gobbler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stupendous. What a feat of translation.