Customer Reviews

Beowulf: A Prose Translation (Penguin Classics)paperback

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My professor recomended this translation to me, and even as a novice in medieval studies, I still think it is far better than what I read in high school. Wright offers fascinating historical information at the beginning and termination of the story that give the non professional reader good insights and background on the implications and circumstances surrounding obscure events in the plot. A reader can walk away with both a great story and a better understanding of the complex time called the Dark Ages.

David Wright has provided the reader with an excellent prose translation of the oldest known epic of any Teutonic people and the first important poem in Old English. It deals primarily with two central events in the life of the Geatish hero Beowulf. The first is concerned with his victory over the monster Grendel who had been attacking Heorot, the mead hall of the Danish king Hrothgar (John Gardner published a novel, "Grendel", in 1971, that takes Grendel's side in the story). The next day, Beowulf slays Grendel's mother who is attempting to try and avenge her son. In the second major event, taking place fifty years later, Beowulf fights a dragon; both are mortally wounded. Hygelac, King of the Gelts, is identified with the historical Chochilaicus, who raided the lower Rhine about 512 A. D. A young Beowulf was in that raid. When Chochilaicus was killed in a battle with the Franks about 520, he was succeeded by his son Heardred. This poem shows the importance, in a warrior society, of the relationship between the warrior and his lord. The poem, even though it contains threads of Christian commentary, is also concerned with the pagen view of immortality: the memory of a warrior's heroic acts. Also: that fate can be swayed by courage. "Fate often saves an undoomed man when his courage is good."

This tale is one of the oldest in Western Europe and has been converted into at least two movies - the quality of which is irrelevant here - and contains many elements familiar to modern day readers and movie goers such is its of so many well worn plot devices.

For the uninitiated the story here can basically be boiled down to the concept of a young warrior and his band of merry men plundering away in search of fame and fortune. Beowulf himself would love to become a king by his own hand and any treasures and pleasurable bed partners that come along with the deal would be just fine thanks very much. So our hero ye verily and forsooth fetches up to the shores of modern day Denmark to find out that a kingdom there is beset by a monster. At which point our hero figures that plunging a few feet of steel into the aforesaid beasty would probably help him upon his chosen career path. Things take a twist regarding how he must slay the foe, more complications arise from plot threads such as cranky mothers of recently deceased monsters, curses and some intrigue at the palace.

Overall the whole thing seems ridiculously simple but within that so much of human ambition is laid bare. The concept that victory may only be ashes in your mouth and the fallibility of even great men is something that resonates to us down the ages and is comprehensible to both modern day readers as well as this epics original audiences.

If you can get across the format of the story and the way in which things are expressed you will find a rich core story here and that is why this classic has endured down the centuries from its inception 1200-1300 years ago (depending on who you ask/read). As such it would make a fine addition to any `classics' library you are building up for yourself. As to those people who have given this particular version of the story a poor rating based on translation issues, they are quite possibly right - I don't speak Old English nor have any desire to - but they are also perhaps coming from a more academic bent than most who will approach this tale.

This is an extremely poor translation of Beowulf for anyone who wants more than just a narrative summary. Wright has, by his own admission, eliminated most of the poetic language from the original poem. The poetic, metaphor-like kennings seemed to him puzzles and word games which barred the reader from the real meanings of the narrative. The appositives used in place of actual names and pronouns he found "long-winded," and the poetic descriptions pretentious. Wright, apparently believing readers not intelligent enough to understand creative language, has given us a translation of Beowulf in the form of highly simplified prose, with few poetic descriptions or language that will "distract the reader" from the narrative. What remains is a clumsy, awkwardly worded translation which offers little to replace the poetry Wright has hacked out of it. Any lover of language will be deeply disappointed by this translation.

[note: this is a review of the poem generally, not this particular translation]

Beowulf is one of those Medieval works of literature that many have heard about but few have read. However, it's worth reading, if only to experience a story so different from modern sensibilities. The poem extols Beowulf's physical courage and bravery against monsters and dragons. It's an odd mix of early Christian and warrior ethos. Beowulf is not a modern hero. There's not much to recommend him to modern readers - he's boastful, relies on brawn not brains, and his search for glory ends up putting his kingdom at risk. Still, it's fascinating to read this type of story and realize how far away it is from our own times.

Because this is a translation of an Anglo-Saxon poem, it's worth saying a word about the text itself. It's readable, but isn't smooth reading for the uninitiated. I'd say this - if you don't like reading English-language poetry, you probably won't enjoy reading this poem. If you do make the effort, I'd recommend really making the effort. Go slow and make sure you understand the story. Don't skip over a few lines thinking they're not as relevant.

I enjoyed the opportunity to read Beowulf and focus on the narrative, the story, rather than the language. Not as a substitute for a verse rendition, but as another way to look at a classic. If you bother reading (or even skimming) the introduction, you will find that David Wright presents a good argument for providing the alternative of a prose version. For me, it was a different and highly readable way to revisit the epic.

The translation is okay, but hardly anything close to the original. If someone is merely looking for a translation of Beowulf, this book is more than fine, but don't depend on it too much if you're translating Old English.

"Beowulf," a poem written sometime between the eighth and tenth centuries AD, is the first surviving epic in what would become the English language. Beowulf is a young man, who, in his youth, was an unsettled, unmotivated prince of the Danish Geats. As he matures, he hears of a neighbouring king's problems, and ventures on the sea to help out. Beowulf's motivation is to rise above his early dissipation and make a name of fame and glory through great deeds.

Beowulf's relationship with the troubled king Hrothgar, and his feud with the demonic beast Grendel are integral parts of this work, known to students of English throughout the world. Through all the war-boasts, battles, and gift-giving, look for the touching humility of Beowulf, rendering him a complex and emotionally involving character.

Even in translation, the syntax of "Beowulf" can be convoluted and difficult to follow, but the outline of the story despite its language and frequent flashbacks, is still easy to discern and appreciate. "Beowulf" offers us a glimpse into two cultures: The culture of the writer, along with his values, religious and social; and The culture of Beowulf, from centuries before the writer, a society based on kinship and reciprocality. For those who enjoyed Michael Crichton's "The 13th Warrior," nee "Eaters of the Dead," "Beowulf" is an important literary forebear, and it is wonderful to read the two together and compare.