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Beowulf
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 4 hrs and 8 mins
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Publisher's summary
Written a thousand years ago, this long poem is the very first surviving piece of English literature. Join Beowulf, a young warrior, as he achieves glory by fighting and killing three fantastic monsters. This new translation, by the Nobel laureate poet Seamus Heaney, offers modern listeners an accessible, intensely dramatic text. It amply demonstrates why this epic has spread its influence over more than a millennium of literature.
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Originally written in Icelandic in the 13th century AD by an anonymous author, The Story of The Volsungs is a legendary saga based on Norse mythology. The epic describes the legendary history and heroic feats of several generations of mythic Viking families and derives from many sources, including preexisting Edda, or heroic poems, Norse legends, historical events, and orally transmitted folklore. The saga is imbued throughout with themes of power, jealousy, love, vengeance, and fear.
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Passionate, Poetic, Bloody, Heroic, & Tragic Saga
- By Jefferson on 03-28-12
By: Anonymous
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The War That Killed Achilles
- The True Story of Homer's Iliad and the Trojan War
- By: Caroline Alexander
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 8 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Few warriors, in life or literature, have challenged their commanding officer and the rationale of the war they fought as fiercely as did Homer's hero Achilles. Today, the Iliad is celebrated as one of the greatest works in literature, the epic of all epics; many have forgotten that the subject of this ancient poem was war - not merely the poetical romance of the war at Troy, but War, in all its enduring devastation.
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Everything is more beautiful because we are doomed
- By Darwin8u on 07-29-15
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The Song of Roland
- By: Michael A. H. Newth - translator
- Narrated by: Greg Marston, Summe Williams, Julian DouglasSmith
- Length: 4 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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The Song of Roland is acknowledged today as the first masterpiece of French vernacular literature and one of the world’s greatest epic poems. Written down around the year 1090, The Song of Roland finely crafted verses tell of the betrayal and defeat of Charlemagne’s beloved nephew at the Pass of Roncevaux in the Pyrenees and of the revenge subsequently sought on his behalf.
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Excellent production
- By Tad Davis on 11-09-11
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The Aeneid
- By: Virgil
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 15 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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The Aeneid represents one of the greatest cultural and artistic achievements of Western Civilization. Within the brooding and melancholy atmosphere of Virgil's pious masterpiece lies the mythic story of Aeneas and his flight from burning Troy, taking with him across the Mediterranean the survivors of the Greek onslaught. Aeneas, after many travails and adventures, including a love affair with Dido Queen of Carthage and a visit to the underworld to see his father, ends up in Italy.
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An epic in every sense of the word
- By James on 01-06-05
By: Virgil
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The Iliad
- Penguin Classics
- By: Homer, E. V. Rieu, D. C. H. Rieu, and others
- Narrated by: Steve John Shepherd
- Length: 17 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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One of the foremost achievements in Western literature, Homer's Iliad tells the story of the darkest episode in the Trojan War. At its centre is Achilles, the greatest warrior-champion of the Greeks, and his refusal to fight after being humiliated by his leader, Agamemnon. But when the Trojan Hector kills Achilles' close friend Patroclus, he storms back into battle to take revenge - although knowing this will ensure his own early death.
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The greatest book Mankind has to offer.
- By OkamiOki on 03-18-21
By: Homer, and others
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Mythology: Captivating Greek, Egyptian, Norse, Celtic and Roman Myths of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes, and Monsters
- By: Matt Clayton
- Narrated by: Randy Whitlow, Dryw McArthur
- Length: 19 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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This audiobook collection includes five captivating books, a huge collection of the best myths and stories of gods, goddesses, monsters, and mortals.
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Not what I expected
- By Wayne Willmore on 12-11-18
By: Matt Clayton
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New York Times best seller and Whitebread Book of the Year, Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney's new translation of Beowulf comes to life in this gripping audio. Heaney's performance reminds us that Beowulf, written near the turn of another millennium, was intended to be heard not read.
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Why, oh, why is it abridged?
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Stephen Mitchell's marvelously clear and vivid rendering recreates the robust masculine music of the original. It both hews closely to the Old English and captures its wild energy and vitality, not just as a deep "work of literature" but also as a rousing entertainment that can still stir our feelings and rivet our attention today, after more than a thousand years. This new translation - spare, sinuous, vigorous in its narration, and translucent in its poetry - makes a masterpiece accessible to everyone.
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Great translation, weak reading
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Beowulf is the greatest surviving work of literature in Old English, unparalleled in its epic grandeur and scope. It tells the story of the heroic Beowulf and of his battles, first with the monster Grendel, who has laid waste to the great hall of the Danish king Hrothgar, then with Grendel's avenging mother and finally with a dragon that threatens to devastate his homeland.
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Excellent translation and reading
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The oldest long poem in Old English, written about AD 1,000, Beowulf tells the story of a great warrior of southern Scandinavia, in both youth and maturity. The monster Grendel terrorizes the Scyldings of Hrothgar's Danish Kingdom until Beowulf defeats him. As a result, he has to face her enraged mother. Beowulf dies after a battle against a fierce dragon.
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Beowulf lives again!
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Beowulf
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The Old English epic poem Beowulf, recorded in its original Saxon dialect for the first time. Performed by Icelandic poet, playwright, professional storyteller and performer Svanur Thorkelsson, Audible’s production gives listeners the opportunity to experience how it might have felt to hear bards recite sections of the 3000-line poem from memory in Anglo Saxon dining halls. Audible’s Beowulf recaptures the heroic style and vast scale of what can be considered ‘England’s first native audiobook’.
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Recorded in Anglo-Saxon, not Modern English
- By Christopher Mclaughlin on 10-15-20
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Beowulf: A New Translation
- By: Maria Dahvana Headley
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A man seeks to prove himself as a hero. A monster seeks silence in his territory. A warrior seeks to avenge her murdered son. A dragon ends it all. The familiar elements of the epic poem are seen with a novelist’s eye toward gender, genre, and history - Beowulf has always been a tale of entitlement and encroachment, powerful men seeking to become more powerful, and one woman seeking justice for her child, but this version brings new context to an old story.
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Ridiculous
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New York Times best seller and Whitebread Book of the Year, Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney's new translation of Beowulf comes to life in this gripping audio. Heaney's performance reminds us that Beowulf, written near the turn of another millennium, was intended to be heard not read.
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Why, oh, why is it abridged?
- By Tad Davis on 09-25-08
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Beowulf
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Stephen Mitchell's marvelously clear and vivid rendering recreates the robust masculine music of the original. It both hews closely to the Old English and captures its wild energy and vitality, not just as a deep "work of literature" but also as a rousing entertainment that can still stir our feelings and rivet our attention today, after more than a thousand years. This new translation - spare, sinuous, vigorous in its narration, and translucent in its poetry - makes a masterpiece accessible to everyone.
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Great translation, weak reading
- By Tad Davis on 10-24-17
By: Stephen Mitchell
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Beowulf
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Beowulf is the greatest surviving work of literature in Old English, unparalleled in its epic grandeur and scope. It tells the story of the heroic Beowulf and of his battles, first with the monster Grendel, who has laid waste to the great hall of the Danish king Hrothgar, then with Grendel's avenging mother and finally with a dragon that threatens to devastate his homeland.
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Excellent translation and reading
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Beowulf lives again!
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Recorded in Anglo-Saxon, not Modern English
- By Christopher Mclaughlin on 10-15-20
By: Anonymous
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Beowulf: A New Translation
- By: Maria Dahvana Headley
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A man seeks to prove himself as a hero. A monster seeks silence in his territory. A warrior seeks to avenge her murdered son. A dragon ends it all. The familiar elements of the epic poem are seen with a novelist’s eye toward gender, genre, and history - Beowulf has always been a tale of entitlement and encroachment, powerful men seeking to become more powerful, and one woman seeking justice for her child, but this version brings new context to an old story.
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Ridiculous
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This brilliant new treatment of the world's oldest epic is a literary event on par with Seamus Heaney's wildly popular Beowulf translation. Esteemed translator and best-selling author Stephen Mitchell energizes a heroic tale so old it predates Homer's Iliad by more than a millennium.
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A defense of this "translation"
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The Epic of Gilgamesh relates the tale of the fifth king of the first dynasty of Uruk (in what is modern-day Iraq), who reigned for 126 years, according to the ancient Sumerian list of kings. Gilgamesh was first inscribed in cuneiform writing on clay tablets by an unknown author during the Sumerian era and has been described as one of the greatest works of literature in the recounting of mankind's unending quest for immortality.
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Poetic translation of an epic story
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Beowulf is considered the finest heroic poem in Old English. It celebrates the character and exploits of Beowulf, a young nobleman and warrior, as he proves his superhuman strength and endurance. He also represents the ideal lord and vassal, rewarding his men generously and accomplishing glorious deeds to honor his king.
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Translator Preferred
- By JerryT on 05-10-05
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The Canterbury Tales
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Lively, absorbing, often outrageously funny, Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales is a work of genius, an undisputed classic that has held a special appeal for each generation of readers. The Tales gathers 29 of literature's most enduring (and endearing) characters in a vivid group portrait that captures the full spectrum of medieval society, from the exalted Knight to the humble Plowman. This unabridged work is based on the new translation.
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Lack of coherant "chapters"
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Untimely Considerations
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Untimely Considerations contain four essays: 'David Strauss - Writer and Confessor'; 'On the Use and Abuse of History for Life'; 'Schopenhauer as Educator'; and 'Richard Wagner at Bayreuth'. The essays date from the early part of Nietzsche’s life when his Romantic view on life and art was coloured by the powerful writings and personalities of such figures as Schopenhauer and Wagner - as the titles of two of the essays proclaim. Published between 1873 and 1876, they were presented under the umbrella title 'Unzeitgemässe Betrachtungen'.
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Wonderful!
- By James on 12-08-20
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The Epic of Gilgamesh
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A new version of The Epic of Gilgamesh by Sebastian Lockwood. This is the story of Gilgamesh, King of Kings, who brought back knowledge from before the flood - who loved and lost his companion Enkidu and had to find out why we die. The Epic of Gilgamesh was written on clay tablets over 4,000 years ago, in what is today Baghdad Iraq - the Biblical Garden of Eden between the Tigris and the Euphrates. Lockwood gives a passionate reading from a text that faithfully follows the original.
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Captain Kirk reads Gilgamesh?
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Seamus Heaney I Collected Poems (published 1966-1975)
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Volume one of the definitive collection of Seamus Heaney reading his own work, recorded in 2009 by RTE. Volume one contains four collections published between 1966 and 1975: Death of a Naturalist, Door into the Dark, Wintering Out and North.
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Like nothing I've ever heard before oh, this is ar
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By: Seamus Heaney
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Grendel
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World renowned critic John Gardner has received prestigious awards for his wide range of literary achievements including short stories, novels, and essays. When he turns his talents to retelling Beowulf, the earliest epic in British literature, the result is a work that combines extensive knowledge with a marvelous strain of pure fun. In Gardner's version of the epic, instead of lauding the helmeted hero, Beowulf, the spotlight shines on Grendel.
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Unselfconscious, powerful narration.
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By: John Gardner
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Johnny had been Mr. Lapham's star pupil, a clever, industrious apprentice silversmith. But when Johnny seriously burns his hand in a furnace, he finds himself crippled and with no means of taking care of himself. Soon, trouble reaches Johnny's life in a new way. Swept along in the tide of events leading to the Boston Tea Party and the first skirmishes of Lexington and Concord, Johnny finds a job as message-carrier for the Sons of Liberty. As young and old men alike make sacrifices for a new country, Johnny prepares to take his own stand in the cause for freedom.
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Fantastic
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Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
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The famous Middle English poem by an anonymous Northern England poet is beautifully translated by fellow poet Simon Armitage in this edition. "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" narrates in crystalline verse the strange tale of a green knight who rudely interrupts the Round Table festivities one Yuletide, casting a pall of unease over the company and challenging one of their number to a wager.
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great original, translation, and reader
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The Inferno of Dante: Translated by Robert Pinsky
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Dramatic, intense, and gripping, The Inferno of Dante is an astonishing masterpiece that no listener can afford to miss. Robert Pinsky, the distinguished American poet, preserves the burning clarity and universal relevance of this 13th-century literary masterpiece in a triumphant new translation for our times. Line by line, canto by canto, Robert Pinksy affirms The Inferno as a powerful living classic for today’s listeners.
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Just the Inferno, Raw and Powerful
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Seamus Heaney II Collected Poems (published 1979-1991)
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- By: Seamus Heaney
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Volume two of the definitive collection of Seamus Heaney reading his own work, recorded in 2009 by RTE. Volume two contains four collections published between 1979 and 1991: Field Work, Station Island, The Haw Lantern and Seeing Things.
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Exceptional
- By Laura Raff-Tierney on 04-30-19
By: Seamus Heaney
What listeners say about Beowulf
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Tad Davis
- 01-28-13
Almost perfect
Seamus Heaney's version of "Beowulf" is a wonder, a totally modern translation of the poem that somehow manages to sound like it's been around for a thousand years. For a long time, his translation was only available on Audible in a badly abridged version - badly abridged even though it was read by Heaney himself: enough of the story was cut that some passages were incomprehensible. Recorded Books has had this complete version for several years, and it's finally available on Audible as well.
If we can't have Heaney doing the whole thing, George Guidall is a great alternative: he has a deep, rich, old-soul-sounding voice that works beautifully on this kind of epic verse. (See "Gilgamesh" and "The Inferno" for other examples.) This is, in my opinion, the best version of this work available in audiobook format. Bear in mind, though, that I've been a fan of the poem for many years, and have read at least some of it in the original (in an undergraduate Old English course forty years ago). My recommendation may be less useful for someone trying to get a first-time gist of the story. I honestly don't know how this would come across to someone who'd never heard the story before.
If you want another interesting treat, listen to Guidall giving the other side of the story, in the audiobook version of "Grendel" by the late lamented John Gardner.
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174 people found this helpful
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- Knitme23
- 04-12-13
Beowulf as it should be enjoyed!
What a great way to review (or meet!) Beowulf! Heaney's translation is fantastic, and while I'd love to hear a Irishman, a Dane, or a Scotsman read it, Guidall is skilled if neutral. The inclusion of the introduction at the end is surprising (why not include it at the start?) but fantastic, and helps enrich the whole experience. I've read and taught Beowulf before, but I never really enjoyed its story fully until I listened to it. HIGHLY recommended. Yup, even the middle section while they're all boasting and trading loot. Listen to this and skip the terrible cartoony version with Angelina Jolie as Grendel's mom!
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54 people found this helpful
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- Ingwe
- 03-27-13
One of the greatest tales of loss ever written
Any additional comments?
The way the author tells the story powerfully expresses what it must have felt like when, during those same times, they watched their mighty pagan traditions of honor and bravery set out to sea forever, then to be replaced by the new culture of Christianity.
If you read it, make sure you also read J.R.R. Tolkein's "The Monsters and The Critics." The whole essay brings new insights to the story; my particular favorite part was his metaphorical statement that Beowulf is a story of youth and old age, the rising and setting of life, and the embracing of the dragon that comes for us all.
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48 people found this helpful
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- Wayne
- 01-27-19
An old poem; a long poem
My view of the history of Beowulf does not agree with the publisher's summary. It is true that the only existing early transcript was written in Old English (a relative of the German language) in approximately 1000 BC, but there is very good reason to believe it was written three or four centuries earlier in what is now the German state of Saxony rather than what is now England. While taking a German 4 course in the spring semester of my sophomore year in 1963 I translated a modern German version of Beowulf into English (that was the full course). The author of Beowulf is unknown.
Beowulf, a Dane,is the protagonist who battled the evil Grendel to Grendel's death. The second battle with Grendel's angry mother is also won by Beowulf. Beowulf's third battle is with the dragon. He then becomes king.
My translation was poor, but good enough for a C- (i was not proficient in German and I took it because it was required for a BS in Chemistry). Seamus Heaney's translation here to modern English is flawless. I listened to this audio book to hear a good translation narrated by the wonderful George Guidall. It did not disappoint!
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14 people found this helpful
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- VG
- 04-20-17
Excellent narration by George Guidall
Translated by Seamus Heaney and beautifully narrated by George Guidall. There are two bonus chapters (essays) read by Seamus Heaney about the poem itself and his approach to the translation.
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13 people found this helpful
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- D. Hile
- 04-10-13
Old and enlightening
This book is well read and does a good job at bringing the text to life. The part that most intrigued me was the essay by the author at the close of the book. His explanation of his translation was fascinating and illuminated the often told story even move.
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12 people found this helpful
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- Nicholas C Cook
- 10-16-18
So excited to get an unabridged version of this.
Enjoyed this reading immensely. Really easy to listen to and enjoy the poetry of the piece.
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8 people found this helpful
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- Anthony Wheeler
- 03-21-18
A hero for the ages.
Be sure to stay tuned for chapters 11 & 12. Incredible insight from the translator.
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8 people found this helpful
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- Catherine Puma
- 01-18-19
Complex Anglo-Saxon Epic, Well Translated
I could live in this poem for weeks and write many essays exalting different aspects of its contents. "Beowulf" sets the standard for epic poetry in the English language, and Seamus Heaney's translation from the original Anglo-Saxon (aka: Old English) to a modern voice is poignantly refreshing. "Beowulf" may be recognized in popular adaptations for its monster fights, but there are also complicated discussions on honor, duty, legacy, greed, heredity, adoption, jealousy, revenge, piety, justice, goodness, and destiny. This Old English poem about an older Scandinavian culture captures our imagination and ignites the inherent longing for glory.
I tend to read "Beowulf" every few years, and this time I listened to the Recorded Books audio book (available on Audible) narrated by George Guidall. It was performed well, and concludes with a thought provoking essay by the translator. Heaney acknowledges the coincidental growth of "Beowulf"'s importance within the English canon and curriculum, recognizes how Tolkien's "Monsters and Critics" essay reinvigorated enjoyable readership of the poem, and reconciles the creative licenses he takes in his translation. Though most of his choices to avoid direct translation are justified and do not detract from the experience of the tale, it is important to understand when those choices have been made so we can appreciate the interpretation of this text as a continuous exercise. Tolkien's own "Beowulf" translation was published a few years ago; I'll have to read that one next.
While Grendel's reign and his mother's haunt are possibly the most remembered portions of the story, my favorite section is when Beowulf rules his home-country and must defend his people against the slumber-disturbed dragon. No longer is just Beowulf's life on the line, but now in jeopardy are his people's lives, the quality of his landholdings, and his legacy as a good king. The stakes are escalated for the climax, and the detailed descriptions of the battle and beast deliver equal degrees in intensity. "Beowulf" is a vexing marvel that deserves to be studied and fought over for centuries to follow.
Every speaker of the English language should read "Beowulf" in its entirety at least once in his lifetime. This should be required reading for every undergraduate English major and every Swedish or Anglo-Saxon historian. Every lover of fantasy, dragons or Vikings should reap this poem's linguistic spoils. Ideally, Old English studies would be offered in more universities to allow new scholars to delve into this world in its original.
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- Anya
- 08-12-17
Narrator doesn't do justice to Heaney's translation
Seamus Heaney's translation of Beowulf is wonderful, but this narrator really isn't great. He makes the story hard to follow and, most importantly, he doesn't do justice to the wonderful poetry of Beowulf and Heaney's translation of this majestic text. I had bought this audio version, over the Heaney narration, so that I could hear the full text (the Heaney narration is abridged) but it wasn't worth it; I had to return it.
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7 people found this helpful