Beowulf: A New Translation - Seamus Heaney

All things old are new again

Advantages: A refreshing look at an ancient epic
Disadvantages: Will most likely remain obscure

often cannot emulate. Yet for all the criticism that may be levelled (and in Heaney's case, many fewer than most translations of Beowulf would have to bear), he was done perhaps the greatest service a translator can do to any work, particularly an ancient one -- he has breathed new life into the poetry so that the story and the language can live again. ...

frkurt 18.01.2003 (21.11.2003) · Read full review
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Review of Beowulf - Seamus Heaney

A brilliant translation

Advantages: Brings an ancient masterpiece alive
Disadvantages: Can be hard going

Beowulf was one of the first poems ever to be written down in a language that was recognisably English. In the original it is virtually incomprehensible to all but scholars and although translations have been available for many years it is this version by the award winning poet Seamus Heaney that has catapulted it back into the mainstream. Beowulf is a classic Nordic Saga, which tells the tale of the heroic Beowulf who tackles three great monsters. He secures an alliance with a neighbouring tribe and eventually becomes ruler of his own people. This poem has neither the depth, nor the sophistication of the Greek epics of Homer or Hesiod. It is beautifully simple, making full use of the so called, “Anglo-Saxon laconic”, short pithy sentences that say a lot but leave much unsaid. Heaney manages to pull off ...

aprose 26.01.2001 · Read full review
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Review of Beowulf - Seamus Heaney

Beowulf the Dragon Slayer

Advantages: Easy access to Britain's earliest 'Classic'
Disadvantages: Encouraging people to read it in the first place!

The Seamus Heaney translation has been a God-send to me.I study Anglo-Saxon and as a result have a very limited selection of people that i can usually study my texts with.Which was a pain!...Until i persuaded my Dad, boyfriend and various random members of my family to read this Beowulf translation. The plot of the tale is easy to follow yet gripping as the reader's empathy with Beowulf is deep.JRR Tolkein was a Anglo-Saxon expert and so any lover of Lord of the Rings will love to discover some of his influences (for example Beowulf is the 'ring bearer' of the Geats). It is easy to read but never in a patronising way.It just manages to epitomise the simplicity of the vocabulary used yet keeps the depth of description for the origial by using the compound words typical of ASax.Heaney's use of the alliterative style keeps true to ...

Briony 02.04.2003 · Read full review
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Review of Beowulf - Seamus Heaney