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Beowulf: A Verse Translation
Beowulf A Verse Translation
Author: Seamus Heaney (Translator), Daniel Donoghue (Editor)
Winner of the Whitbread Prize, Seamus Heaney's translation "accomplishes what before now had seemed impossible: a faithful rendering that is simultaneously an original and gripping poem in its own right" (New York Times Book Review). The translation that "rides boldly through the reefs of scholarship" (The Obser...  more ») is combined with first-rate annotation. No reading knowledge of Old English is assumed.

Heaney's clear and insightful introduction to Beowulf provides students with an understanding of both the poem's history in the canon and Heaney's own translation process. "Contexts" provides a rich selection of material on Anglo-Saxon and early Northern culture. "Criticism" features eight essays carefully chosen for their relevance to undergraduate readers, including a full discussion of the Old English poem that lies behind Heaney's translation. Contributors include J.R.R. Tolkien, John Leyerle, Jane Chance, Roberta Frank, Fred C. Robinson, Thomas Hill, Leslie Webster, and Daniel Donoghue. A Glossary of Proper Names and a Selected Bibliography are included.

About the series: No other series of classic texts equals the caliber of the Norton Critical Editions. Each volume combines the most authoritative text available with the comprehensive pedagogical apparatus necessary to appreciate the work fully. Careful editing, first-rate translation, and thorough explanatory annotations allow each text to meet the highest literary standards while remaining accessible to students. Each edition is printed on acid-free paper and every text in the series remains in print. Norton Critical Editions are the choice for excellence in scholarship for students at more than 2,000 universities worldwide.
ISBN-13: 9780393975802
ISBN-10: 0393975800
Publication Date: 12/2001
Pages: 256
Rating:
  • Currently 3.6/5 Stars.
 10

3.6 stars, based on 10 ratings
Publisher: W. W. Norton Company
Book Type: Paperback
Members Wishing: 1
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Top Member Book Reviews

mahbaar avatar reviewed Beowulf: A Verse Translation on + 111 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 18
I just finished reading this translation and was delighted. I can hardly believe the difference this excellent translation made! Reads just like any epic poem (though there are some footnotes still required!). I really enjoyed reading this.

Can't comment on the supplemental information because I did not read it. I just wanted to read the new translation.
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reviewed Beowulf: A Verse Translation on
I have read the book (I recently just finished the book), and it is an excellent read if you are a fan of epopee as I am. I have allowed my nephew, whom I have recently exposed to epic poetry (i.e. Iliad, Odyssey. Aenied, Paradise Lost, Divine Comedy, etc.), to read the book; and, while he is a much slower reader than I, he assures me that so far he is enjoying the book. In fact, it will probably be some time before I repost the book, as I also have a good friend wishing to read it next.


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