Comments (22)

Beowulf

a New Verse Translation
What did you think about this title?
1 to 22 of 22 items
Aug 02, 2023fred98115 rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
Highly readable translation. Scandinavian hero saves Danes from Grendel, a monster. Returning home he leads his country for decades. Eventually he dies in a vicious fight with a voracious dragon.
Mar 28, 2023Kimburlie rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Considering its age, it was simple enough to follow along with the story. The translator's notes also helped with understanding what was happening. I also referred to the family trees a couple times, it makes visualizing relationships…
Nov 23, 2022mj_jam rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Beowulf is an old English epic poem surrounding the epic hero, Beowulf, and his journey from the beginning of his success to his death. It talks about the many notable achievements that he has done and the great battles that he has fought…
Jul 14, 2022Book_Dragon_Me rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Beowulf was a brave and heroic warrior, brought into the distress of knights being attacked and killed by a monster called Grendel. Beowulf set out to kill Grendel in their defense and was also confronted by Grendel's even greater mother.
Aug 21, 2021leejuliet rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Beowulf is a poem about a warrior who protected a village from a horrendous creature. King Hrothgar of the village had suffered over a century due to frequent attacks of the creature named Grendel. Fortunately, Beowulf had stepped up to…
Apr 30, 2019NaomiBenaron rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Hard to make Beowulf a page turner, but leave it to Seamus Heaney. Heart-stopping prose, a visual masterpiece, a tale of bravery, loss, and yes - even love.
Oct 05, 2017Kris_Kringle rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This poem is the definition of epic!! A great read for anyone!!
HMWLibrary2017
Jul 14, 2017HMWLibrary2017 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Seamus Heaney's translation is accessible and at times truly gorgeous. He brings the epic's metaphors to life.
Jul 03, 2016
Heaney's translation is very poetic and yet effectively keeps the feel of Old English with the use of combined words such as "whale-road" and "mead-hall". I read and re-read the poem several times, and with each reading gained greater…
Jun 13, 2016thedoggedtruth rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
I LOVED this poem. I can't wait to read other translations
May 20, 2016becker rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This was a treat to read. Seamus Heaney translates this Old English Epic poem into very readable modern English. The wonderful Medieval setting includes dragons, monsters, heroes, treasure and dramatic battles against evil forces. Sound…
Aug 27, 2015BostonPL_JordanD rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
(Book 7 of 8 of my Summer Reading book reviews.) Title/Author: Beowulf translated by Seamus Heaney Read by: Anna, Teen Central Librarian Summary: A terrible monster kills the defenders of this kingdom night after night until a…
Felicia_Caro
Apr 30, 2014
Like the first time I read Beowulf, I was taken into a completely different time and place and would step out again, each time I put the book down, onto a newly viewed natural world, alive and thriving. Whether the demons and monsters…
Sep 11, 2013bookwormjeph rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Having an interest for a few years in this saga has led me to reading several different translations-this would have to be the best I've read. It's more accessible than others and really brings the story alive with a much more readable…
Jun 25, 2013StarGladiator rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Regarding references to Anglo-Saxon culture, it is good to remember that Beowulf was a Dane, and the name Beowulf in Old Dansk translates to "small bear" - - and the Beowulf tale is not that far removed from the recounting of the Arab…
Jun 25, 2013kcls_adult1 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Beowulf is such a primitive story in a way that contrasts our age of literary sophistication and Seamus Heaney brings this simplicity to life in an epic way. This is great storytelling at its best. We all know the story, and have heard it…
Jun 08, 2013squinton rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
This is definitely my favourite of all the old epics I've read, including the Odyssey and the Aeneid. Great story and fantastic translation!
Nov 07, 2012
Heaney's translation is simply wonderful! And of course, the tale itself is, too.
Jun 23, 2012TomLibrarian rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
The oldest and arguably the greatest English epic, Beowulf stands at the dawn of the British literary tradition at a crucial historical threshold, straddling both the pagan world of the Germanic Anglo-Saxons and the Christian world of…
May 04, 2011kpjorgen rated this title 1.5 out of 5 stars
Its good -- but check out the Chickering translation if you want to feel the true raw nature of this poem. The Chickering translation is true to the original poem.
Nov 15, 2010vanillasandwich rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
okay, but kind of fantastical and not realistic. the translation is awesome, though.
Sep 10, 2009sit_walk rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Rating Beowulf seems a little silly, but this is a really great translation by a master of language.