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Beowulf
122 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published January 1, 1957
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 23, 2024
4.5 out of 5. Well, this was a revelation. I picked up an old copy of this book in an Oxfam bookshop. I had read the Seamus Heaney translation about 20 years ago, but had no strong recollection of it. This telling of the story gripped me. Maybe it struck a chord as I’m reading Bernard Cornwell’s Last Kingdom series at the moment? I found the battle scenes quite intense, and I could certainly see how this influenced Tolkien. Short book and worth a read. I plan to revisit the Heaney translation now.
January 13, 2026
3.5 / 5 rounded up
June 6, 2024
This is the 1957 translation by David Wright.
It's fine.
I've read about 5 versions of Beowulf this year, and I found this one comprehensible but not very enjoyable. It reads like a rough draft, with awkward sentences that individually make sense but collectively sound off. I can't quite say why it hits me I like that, but I found it hard to read in a fluent way, especially compared to some other versions.
The Rosemary Sutcliff novelization, for example, isn't as faithful to the text, but it reads like a novel. The Seamus Heaney translation, which is a line by line poetic rendering of the original poem, is much more aesthetically pleasing, though it comes at a slight cost of comprehension. And the "No Fear" version of Beowulf--actually two version--has a very clear, made for students, prose translation of the text which might actually fit into the category of "long footnotes," because I don't think you'd want to read it on its own. It's too compact, leaving out too many details. It is useful, though. What surprised me was that the "original" version of Beowulf in that book, the one considered difficult the same way Shakespeare is difficult, is actually very nice IMO. It's prose, but with a nice poetic feel, with beautiful language, leaning toward the sound of the Heaney version.
Anyway, I gave all of those 5 stars. I was hoping this would be amazing in a different way, but it's neither beautifully poetic nor radiantly clear. It's not bad; it works. And the introductory essay is very good, as are the notes and appendices in the back. It's fine. It's just not as much favorite, ya know?
I read somewhere there are hundreds of translations of Beowulf into English. I think we're good now. Should be enough for a bit.
It's fine.
I've read about 5 versions of Beowulf this year, and I found this one comprehensible but not very enjoyable. It reads like a rough draft, with awkward sentences that individually make sense but collectively sound off. I can't quite say why it hits me I like that, but I found it hard to read in a fluent way, especially compared to some other versions.
The Rosemary Sutcliff novelization, for example, isn't as faithful to the text, but it reads like a novel. The Seamus Heaney translation, which is a line by line poetic rendering of the original poem, is much more aesthetically pleasing, though it comes at a slight cost of comprehension. And the "No Fear" version of Beowulf--actually two version--has a very clear, made for students, prose translation of the text which might actually fit into the category of "long footnotes," because I don't think you'd want to read it on its own. It's too compact, leaving out too many details. It is useful, though. What surprised me was that the "original" version of Beowulf in that book, the one considered difficult the same way Shakespeare is difficult, is actually very nice IMO. It's prose, but with a nice poetic feel, with beautiful language, leaning toward the sound of the Heaney version.
Anyway, I gave all of those 5 stars. I was hoping this would be amazing in a different way, but it's neither beautifully poetic nor radiantly clear. It's not bad; it works. And the introductory essay is very good, as are the notes and appendices in the back. It's fine. It's just not as much favorite, ya know?
I read somewhere there are hundreds of translations of Beowulf into English. I think we're good now. Should be enough for a bit.
August 26, 2025
The influence of the sole surviving Anglo-Saxon epic on Tolkien (and by extension, his countless imitators) is unmistakeable. Beowulf is a model of courage and martial prowess who selflessly combats evil afflicting others. His opponents include the bloodthirsty giant Grendel, Grendel's wrathful mother (a semi-surreal underwater sequence) and an archetypal treasure-hoarding dragon. You'll drink in the grim fatalism of Norse mythology (the story's source is clearly Norse) with every cup of mead. Life is strife; the best you can do is to fight bravely and if you're doomed to lose, well, make sure you go down swinging.
Known from a single, thousand-year-old manuscript, "Beowulf" lurked in a private library for centuries and wasn't translated into modern English until 1837. We're lucky it's still with us; it had a Grendel or two of its own to beat. David Wright's prose rendition is clear and readable, an effective time tunnel to another world, and his learned introduction is very informative.
Known from a single, thousand-year-old manuscript, "Beowulf" lurked in a private library for centuries and wasn't translated into modern English until 1837. We're lucky it's still with us; it had a Grendel or two of its own to beat. David Wright's prose rendition is clear and readable, an effective time tunnel to another world, and his learned introduction is very informative.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews