Beowulf: The New Translation

by Unknown, Gerald J. Davis (Translator)

J. R. R. Tolkien, the author of LORD OF THE RINGS and THE HOBBIT, in his famous 1936 lecture, BEOWULF: THE MONSTERS AND THE CRITICS, said, ""BEOWULF is among my most valued sources. It is a work of genius, rare and surprising in the period, and it is worth studying. In BEOWULF we have an historical story about the pagan past. BEOWULF is not an actual picture of historic Denmark or Geatland or Sweden about A.D. 500. But it is, on a general view, a self-consistent picture, a construction bearing clearly the marks of design and thought. BEOWULF is, indeed, the most successful Old English heroic elegy.""

169 pages, ebook

Published April 23, 2014

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

[Becky Hintz · Rating 4 out of 5]

What this translation lacks in terms of style is made up for in accessibility. This is now my go-to for introducing Beowulf to a new reader. One could discover the story here, then graduate to Seamus Haney's masterful translation to enjoy his more poetic take.

[Anie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The alliteration in this translation is absolutely fantastic - so good. And of course Beowulf is a classic story.

[Jefferson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely read with interesting scholarly notes.

[Paul Triller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful journey back in time. Interesting to see how JRR Tolkien used bits of this ancient story as he created the characters and history of Middle Earth.

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

After all these years, I finally read Beowulf. By all accounts I was lucky I chose this new translation. Very readable and still poetic.

[Andie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an easy read. It wasn't particularly thrilling, but I enjoyed the language and learning the story nonetheless. I'm sure it serves as a backbone for many works we have today.