Beowulf: Francis B. Grummere

by Francis B. Grummere

Written in Old English sometime before the tenth century A.D., describes the adventures of a great Scandinavian warrior of the sixth century named Beowulf, hero of the Geats (Goths). Beowulf is summoned by a Danish king in order to slay the monster known as Gendel. After this he slays Gendel's mother and lives a long and fruitful life for 50 years. In the end Beowulf is tasked with slaying a dragon. Even though he is successful he is fatally wounded in the final battle.

Genres: Poetry, Classics

90 pages, Paperback

Published October 21, 2012

Reviews

[Wee Lassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Team Wiglaf for life!!!!

[Neelam Epstein Mukherjee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book that started it all. This is an Anglo Saxon era classic about a brave warrior in a time where bravery was literally measured in fighting demonic monsters single handedly. It’s written with a detailed realism and also focuses on how the society at that time valued bravery, honesty and loyalty to their kings. It almost makes you nostalgic for a time when life was simple and morality was defined in pretty straightforward black and white shades. There is beauty in that simplicity and the eloquent words do honor the courageous deeds of the protagonist, Beowulf. There is honor in his every action and for lack of a better word Beowulf is bodacious and is depicted in no lesser terms. In stark contrast, the death of Beowulf is equally moving and makes you realize that at the end death will draw the curtains to the bravest of us, no matter how strong we once were. Every glorious life comes to an end, so we might as well live it with valor and integrity, so when finally Death comes for us we can look straight into it’s eyes and can embrace it with no regrets. In summary, a well crafted solid classic which you should read at least once if you are in love with the history of the English language as I am.

[zero · Rating 2 out of 5]

as an audiobook to fall asleep to, it's excellent - don't love it for much else

[Patrick Kane · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m convinced that all the positive reviews for this translation are either coming from English literature heads that can somehow look past the archaic language or people that accidentally posted their review to the wrong translation. I can appreciate that some people might love this translation because of how much closer it is to old English but I just can’t get past it. If you’re reading this story for the first time and just want to understand it, I’d recommend starting with Seamus Heaneys translation, like I should have done.

[Rhonda Wise · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an older translation but it is still good. It says it is 90 pages but it still took over five hours for me to make my way through this. Why? Because it really needs to be read aloud and that is very difficult. It is a nice translation though. I like it a lot. It is different from other translations I've read - not by much just enough to make it interesting.

[Lorenzo Menor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite a read, this book did really click to me as a classic. A strong brave warrior that ends up as a king, the tale of Beowulf and how he came to be. The Rivalry and the Adventure he went through left an impression on me. I love stories like these, I cannot say more than "I love it". I can see myself recommending this to those who love classics.

[Darryl Finch-Ellis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wasn't a fan of the style utilised, however, I pressed through and thoroughly enjoyed the story, especially the last third with the dragon!
You can clearly see how Tolkien was inspired by this tale - amongst other tales - and the thought alone made me happy to have read it.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have gone through this epic numerous times now, and I'm finally realizing that Beowulf is a story of the warrior-priest. I intend to go through this story again at some point in the future, but I would certainly do an analysis on this story as I go along.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting translation of an old- really old-favorite, will look for the film version.

[Jo-Kai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genuinely legendary.

[Mel · Rating 2 out of 5]

i was BOREDDD

[Rachel Thomas]

should've listened to everything ever that said not to just read this straight cause it wouldn't make sense. yeah gonna have to reread with a companion or different translation lol

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gummere's 1910 translation is an atmospheric version of Beowulf, but it isn't the easiest read, or listen. It is, I think, worth looking at if you don't mind archaic words and tortured word order

[pepper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weww,audiobook by side,spark notes reference and i must say this was a challenge,one big challenge lol and this translation was well done better than others i found on internet.My first literature class read.

[Sloane Chambers · Rating 3 out of 5]

After giving myself some time to think about it, I can come away saying I truly enjoyed this prose. The context and mystery surrounding this story can cast a shadow over the text itself, however, when working in tandem a truly compelling picture is shown. An entertaining story made even more so due to the time it has managed to travel through. Just lovely

[theuntidybookshelves · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was really cool reading something that was written so long ago, however the actual content was not to my taste. I can totally see why this is deemed a classic though.