Beowulf

Rating:
Summary: Beowulf should be heard, not seen
Review: I have been laboriously teaching myself Anglo-Saxon in order to read the "real" Beowulf. I also have a tape of parts of Beowulf read aloud in Anglo-Saxon. It was with some trepidation that I ordered the CDS. Heaney has kept much of the masculine sound of Beowulf -- the alliteration, the beats, the broken measures. I am happy.
One criticism: there are no "tracks" so that if you begin listening in the car as I did, when you start to drive home, you're back at the beginning. I would have liked a way to return to the approximate place where I left off listening.
If you're still struggling with Anglo-Saxon, this is a great way to experience the sounds of Beowulf.

Rating:
Summary: not exactily unabridged
Review: If you are following along in the book, by Seamus Heaney, sometimes entire pages are cut out. Its not just the unimportant stuff either. It is still a good CD and translation but its not exactly what it says it is.

Rating:
Summary: Not a bad translation...
Review: This epic poem tells the story of a Geat warrior named Beowulf. Usually I hate books of this sort that I am forced to read for class, but this one was not so bad. The translation from Old English (written on the left side of every page) to modern English (written on the right) was done quite well, and the translator did a good job of keeping the essence and rhythm of the original poem intact. The story deals with three main battles in Beowulf's life: with the monster Grendel, Grendel's mother, and a dragon. However, you will probably come away having learned a lot about how life was like in the Dark Ages as well.

Rating:
Summary: A great translation of an interesting story
Review: _Beowulf_ is a fairly simple story, but still an interesting read. The battle scenes are exciting, especially the fight with the dragon in the end. Even as Beowulf conquers his enemies, there's a dark sense of foreboding throughout, which makes for a very somber tone. In between action sequences, _Beowulf_ has much to say about honorable conduct and the Warrior's Code--enough where I wonder if the story wasn't intended to be instructional. As far as the classics go, it's a pretty quick read (about 100 pages of text--you can read it in one or two sittings).

When dealing with older works like this, your reading experience can be a dream or a nighmare depending the quality of the translation. Seamus Heaney makes this work clear and accessible to everyone. Also, he includes a pretty good introduction dealing with the history of _Beowulf_, as well as some things to look out for while reading it.

Rating:
Summary: A Much-Needed Dose of Darkness and Valor
Review: Contemporary American culture is in severe denial of mortality (a condition which Freud identified in "Civilization and Its Discontents" as a major barrier to psychological well-being). We worship youth and beauty not so much for themselves but because they make us forget that we will grow old and die--or at least the latter. Technology and modern medicine have overcome much of the troubles which haunted humankind for millenia; but they have also given us a sense of arrogance toward the forces of nature, and particularly toward death. Death can't touch us, or so we believe.

But a monster is always lurking in the darkness.

"Beowulf" is a shot in the arm against our contemporary denial of mortality. To enter the world of the Beowulf-poet is to remember how formidable Death and Nature truly are (a point tragically reminded to us by the recent Tsunami disaster). Great warriors can be snuffed out in a moment, and sickness & old age defeat even the greatest kings. But it is in the face of death that the true value of life can be appreciated, and an awareness of death is also the precondition for valor--a concept very absent from a sedentary American, TV-and Internet-addicted, Wal-Mart-shopping culture (though you could criticize me as well; after all I'm sitting on a computer, so where's MY valor?).

There are enough other reviews to get an idea of how successfully Heaney adapts the poem's language (I think he does wonderfully), but one common criticism is that the story is not so hot.

Well Anglo-Saxon understandings of human psychology were rather elementary compared to today, so you can't expect a Shakespearean presentation of human nature. But that's not the point: "Beowulf"'s aesthetic is rougher and more raw, more mercurial (though as Tolkien noted in his Beowulf essay "The Monsters and the Critics," wrought to a fine finish). It hits you in the gut, but still there are moments which are beautiful and glorious. And there are excellent battle scenes which are described quite vividly and that I found as exciting as any modern-day action movie. The plot is simple, but to consider this bad is again a judgment based on modern tastes. Think of the ancient Greeks, the founders of Western drama: many of their plots were quite simple, too. But simplicity can be a virtue, allowing you to go more deeply into a few things rather than skip around over vast quantities of material. "Less is more."

So (a word I appreciate much more after reading this poem), if you want to reacquaint yourself with darkness, mortality and valor before Life does, give this poem--and this translation in particular--a shot.

The audiobook, read by Heaney himself, is also highly recommended, though note that the 2 CD's are unabridged SELECTIONS and not every word in the book. Almost all of it is in there, though.

Rating:
Summary: From the Dark Ages
Review: I was given "Beowulf" as a gift from my son who is currently in his last year at high school. I might add that he had already read the book before he passed it on to me. I think he was keen to have someone to talk to about the work.

"Beowulf" is truly a book of the dark ages. It is believed to have been written somewhere between the years 700 and 1000. It takes the reader back to a time of dark and sinister forces. A time where dragons roamed and life had to be defended with force. It was a time of great danger and great heroics.

Although "Beowulf" is a work that should be read in order to round out the knowledge of an educated person, it is not a work that is an easy or compelling read. Perhaps this is to be expected given that "Beowulf" is older than a thousand years and the modern reader is clearly of a different mindset to even the most educated person in a time when the world was only lit by fire.

I have little doubt that the works of JRR Tolkien were heavily influenced by "Beowulf". This may be sufficient incentive to encourage many modern readers to embrace a work that, although from a very different time, is a pre-cursor to modern English.


Rating:
Summary: A lively, living translation
Review: There is so much to enjoy in this book that I hardly know where to begin.

First, the text itself is modern and lyrical. Heany, a Nobel award winner, has brought this text his full skill as a translator, as a Celt, and as a poet above all. It flows, the meter is strong and expressive, and many readers can all approach it on their own levels. It's a story of heroism tried, tried again, and tried to the end of human endurance - but a few other stories show up in the interludes. There are jealousies and political intrigues, as well as personal bonds and honor. And, in a happy surprise, the Celtic tradition of metalworking is never far from the surface. However great the feat of arms, the arms themselves and the anonymous smiths always get their footnote.

One fascinating feature of this book is that the original text, a modern typesetting of the old English, stands side by side with the modern text. This is a remarkable bit of honesty and academic rigor, almost as if a chef invited every diner to examine the kitchen in white-glove detail. I can't read the original, but I don't have to in order to get some of its value. I can pick out a word here and there - "gold" from "golde", or "mother" from "modor" - but even I can see more. I can just look the unknown words and see how the original alliterated and how the modern English does not. I don't value the modern rendering less for the loss, but I value the original more.

A stereotype is due for update. "Beowulf" was once a trial by ordeal for English majors. That is no longer true. Heany makes it a vivid contemporary experience without losing sight of the people and times that brought it to life. Ever better, Tolkien fans will see where he drew so much of his inspiration, especially in naming his people. This story is not just good in itself, it's good in the ways that it underlies so many English stories that followed it.

//wiredweird

Rating:
Summary: Audio CD is ABRIDGED
Review: I'm posting this review as a warning to buyers that although Amazon is presently listing the audio CD as UNABRIDGED, it's actually marked "Unabridged Selections" by the publisher in what is obviously an exercise in marketing double talk.

The audio CD version omits many lines and even some sizable chunks of the original work. The only word for that is "Abridged" and the publishers should be ashamed of themselves for calling it anything other than "Abridged".

Amazon should update the listing accordingly. I'm giving the edition a 1 star rating simply to call attention to the deceitful packaging. I have no other complaint aside from that.

Rating:
Summary: Only Dark Age Epic to Survive!
Review: This poem is a lot older than the Viking sagas. Luckily it has survived through the years and has preserved a window into the semi-civilization of the Northern Dark Ages. If you want to know how a real barbarian warrior felt and thought, this book is the best and only one there is.
Seaney's translation is highly readable and yet still conveys the alliterative poetic style of the original. The modern text faces the ancient: so, you can read passages in the original if you want; much of it you will understand since it is still English: Old English.
With Seaney's fabulous translation and with the facing Old English original, you can authentically transport yourself back to the 7th Century A.D. If you are an English speaker by birth, this poem will have spiritual meaning for you as well since you are communicating with your ancient linguistic forebears.
This poem reads a lot like the Iliad of Homer: it is a world of kings, queens, warriors, and bards. Unlike Homer, however, it has its giants, dragons elves and orcs (no hobbits though!). Grendel, the first monster encountered in the tale, which Beowulf defeats using a kind of Judo arm-lock move (and the arm comes right off! HAHAHAHA! Good technique!), is some kind of thing I know not what: kind of a mixture between a ghost and a giant, and very stinky. Beowulf then goes and hunts down Grendel's mother inside an underwater cavern, and finds a treasure-trove of swords, jewels, rare items and things: very reminiscent of Diablo II!
I love Beowulf's swimming competition! He and another guy argue about who is the tougher, so they decide to have a 'little' swimming match... Many days later and Beowulf has defeated several killer whales and things with underwater swordplay. I guess it would work, since modern shark researchers still wear chainmail armour. He is one tough guy to swim for so many days wearing chainmail though!!!
You see, the whole story is supposed to build a hero of all heroes. The greatest palace in the world is under attack by Grendel, so the greatest warrior-hero the world has ever seen is called upon to offer aid. Beowulf is so strong and such a good fighter that he prefers not even to use weapons in warfare: he'd rather just use his bare hands and Jiu-jitsu his opponents to death! He even apologizes to the audience that he is 'too old' to kill the dragon with his hands any more (when he is like 80 years old!) so he will have to use a sword and shield: 'sorry guys for letting you down'! Beowulf is clearly the Paul Bunyan/Hercules of Old England. What makes him so appealing is that he has no flaws at all in him: he is perfectly wise, perfectly brave, perfectly skilled in battle, perfectly strong, perfectly kind, and HUGE! Beowulf sets out an ideal that we can all aspire to in one way or another, but never ever reach.
I suspect that the tale of Beowulf came over from the Continent with the invading Angle and Saxon tribes, and never went away: it only kept growing in the telling. For the English, it was Beowulf who was the greatest hero, whereas for other Northern peoples Sigfried became the most popular over time. It does seem that the poet is trying to have Beowulf outdo Sigfried: Beowulf doesn't even need to use weapons whereas Sigfried does; Beowulf kills multiple mosters (and WHALES too, while swimming in the ocean!); Beowulf dies a noble death whereas Sigfried is stabbed in the back; Beowulf rules many years as a wise and generous king whereas Sigfried is more of a 10-minute wonder. Clearly whatever king considered himself a relative of Beowulf wanted to show that his family is better than anyone else's.
The mixture of Biblical lore with Nordic myth is really cool! I really liked reading about how Cain was cursed by God to roam the countryside as a kind of wandering spirit, and he gave birth to all the Elves, Giants, Ents (Eotuns) and Orcs. In Nordic lore it is Loki the Trickster who fathers all these creeps: it only makes the whole thing more fun, I think, to have Cain do it. Also, the mention of Almighty God 53 times in the poem has a special powerful ring to it that Odin just doesn't have: with his one eye popped out and all, and that creepy crow or parrot or whatever sitting on his shoulder. The Christian element doesn't take anything away from the tale at all: it only makes it more 'grounded' and the issue of who is right and who is wrong more clear. In any case, the Germans Christianized their Sigfried, so why can't the English their Beowulf? Anyways, it was the Christian set-up that brought writing to the English in the first place, so in order for things like Beowulf to be written and enjoyed as books, there had to be Christianity.
Congratulations to Seamus Heaney on his fantastic translation!
Oh yes, and the chianmail cover that sticks out feels real neat!

Rating:
Summary: A Legend Revitalized
Review: Irish poet Seamus Heaney brings Beowulf to life in his 1999 translation of the epic saga. It's one of the oldest stories to have been written down in English (circa 8th century AD) and on reading it for yourself you'll see why it has stood the test of time.

Part history, part fantasy Beowulf tells the story of the Geats, the Swedes and the Danes. The times that they live in are violent and frightening, and not only because of their wars. There is Grendel, an monstrous descendant of Cain, his equally abominable mother, and a dragon who guards a hoard of treasure leftover from a lost civilization. Beowulf, a warrior of the Geats, comes across the sea to the Danes to battle these creatures, to drink mead with his allies and to boast of his adventures.

The narrative isn't neccessarily in order of events, and often flashes back, or has stories within the story. Though the historical parts drag on a little, it's quite an interesting structure once you get used to it.

Heaney has done a wonderful job at capturing the feel of the story. He has a passion both for the poem and for the language, and it shows. The words are powerful, and the descriptions vivid all the way thtough. Though I'm not usually a fan of heroic fantasy, they really stuck with me. I could put the book down, pick it up again later, and become fully immersed in the world of the Danes and the Geats within a verse or two. A bleak world, where dangers can lurk on the moor, in the sea or even in your house at night. A world of blood and mud, where gold and glory are prized above everything. A world a mans most prized posessions are his family sword and chainmail, and where battle is as commonplace as eating. The battle scenes, in particular, are real page turners. I can really see how it captivated people of ages past. Wow.

Even with this refreshing translation, I still feel the "christian" sentiment of the saga is tacked on. Everytime God is mentioned, it seems to come out of nowhere. Beowulf, the Geats, The Danes and the Swedes don't seem very christian at all, let alone be the types to have God on their side. They live for glory, they make proud boasts to each other and they drink heavily. Doesn't sound very christian at all. The only sin to them is killing on of their own kind. They can kill anybody else they like, and boast about it. This is more akin to their native religions than to christianity. What's really interesting is that Beowulf only came to the Danes after they had prayed to their heathen gods. Maybe the original 8th century author felt forced to add christianity into the legend when transcribing it from the oral traditions, either out of fear, out of his newfound faith, or so that the legend of Beowulf wouldn't be destroyed, or dismissed by the medieval Catholic Church as a shameful heathen past. Oral traditions don't survive as well as written ones, so we'll never know for sure how the original "heathen" Beowulf went.

I'd recommend this to lovers of heroic fantasy. In that genre, you can't get much more archetypical than this. If it's anything to go by J.R.R. Tolkein loved this story so much, he not only wrote an essay gushing with praise about it, he also borrowed the idea of a dragon guarding a treasure and put it in "The Hobbit".