Kindle
$1.99
Available instantly
Audiobook
$0.00
Listen free with Audible
Hardcover
$14.89
Audio CD
$5.75
Buy used:
$5.75
FREE delivery July 12 - 22. Details
Or fastest delivery July 8 - 11. Details
Used: Good | Details
Sold by Jenson Books Inc.
Condition: Used: Good
Comment: This item shows signs of wear from consistent use, but it remains in good condition and works perfectly. All pages and cover are intact , but may have aesthetic issues such as small tears, bends, scratches, and scuffs. Spine may also show signs of wear. Pages may include some notes and highlighting. May include "From the library of" labels. Satisfaction Guaranteed.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Seamus Heaney
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Beowulf Audio CD – Abridged, May 4, 2000

by Seamus Heaney (Narrator, Translator)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 3,612 ratings
See all formats and editions
A New York Times Bestseller and Whitbread Book of the Year.Heaney's performance reminds us that Beowulf, written near the turn of another millennium, was intended to be heard not read.Composed toward the end of the first millennium of our era, Beowulf is the elegiac narrative of the adventures of Beowulf, a Scandinavian hero who saves the Danes from the seemingly invincible monster Grendel and, later, from Grendel's mother. He then returns to his own country and lives to old age before dying in a vivid fight against a dragon.The poem is about encountering the monstrous, defeating it, and then having to live on in the exhausted aftermath. In the contours of this story, at once remote and uncannily familiar at the end of the twentieth century, Seamus Heaney finds a resonance that summons power to the poetry from deep beneath its surface.While an abridgment of Heaney's full translation of Beowulf, Heaney prepared this abridgment himself to read for the BBC program from which this recording is taken.
Previous slide of product details
  1. Language
    English
  2. Publisher
    HighBridge Audio
  3. Publication date
    May 4, 2000
  4. Dimensions
    6.4 x 1.1 x 5.3 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    1565114272
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1565114272
  7. See all details
Next slide of product details
The Amazon Book Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now

Get to know this book

Previous page

  1. What's it about?

    A Scandinavian hero saves the Danes from a monster and his mother, then dies in a fight against a dragon.

  2. Popular highlight

    Behaviour that’s admired is the path to power among people everywhere.
    633 Kindle readers highlighted this

  3. Popular highlight

    Grendel’s mother, monstrous hell-bride, brooded on her wrongs.
    409 Kindle readers highlighted this

  4. Popular highlight

    Then a powerful demon, a prowler through the dark, nursed a hard grievance.
    389 Kindle readers highlighted this
Next page

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

SEAMUS HEANEY is an Irish poet, writer and lecturer from County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1995.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ HighBridge Audio; Unabridged edition (May 4, 2000)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1565114272
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1565114272
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.84 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.4 x 1.1 x 5.3 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 3,612 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Seamus Heaney

Seamus Heaney

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Seamus Justin Heaney, MRIA (/ˈʃeɪməs ˈhiːni/; 13 April 1939 – 30 August 2013) was an Irish poet, playwright, translator and lecturer, and the recipient of the 1995 Nobel Prize in Literature.

Born near Castledawson, Northern Ireland, the family moved to nearby Bellaghy when he was a boy. Heaney became a lecturer in Belfast in the early 1960s, after attending university there, and began to publish poetry. He lived in Sandymount, Dublin, from 1976 until his death. Heaney was recognized as one of the principal contributors to poetry during his lifetime. Heaney was a professor at Harvard from 1981 to 1997 and its Poet in Residence from 1988 to 2006. From 1989 to 1994, he was also the Professor of Poetry at Oxford and, in 1996, was made a Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et Lettres. Other awards that he received include the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize (1968), the E. M. Forster Award (1975), the PEN Translation Prize (1985), the Golden Wreath of Poetry (2001), the T. S. Eliot Prize (2006) and two Whitbread Prizes (1996 and 1999). In 2011, he was awarded the Griffin Poetry Prize and in 2012, a Lifetime Recognition Award from the Griffin Trust. His literary papers are held by the National Library of Ireland.

Robert Lowell described him as "the most important Irish poet since Yeats", and many others, including the academic John Sutherland, have echoed the sentiment that he was "the greatest poet of our age". Robert Pinsky has stated that "with his wonderful gift of eye and ear Heaney has the gift of the story-teller." Upon his death in 2013, The Independent described him as "probably the best-known poet in the world."

His body is buried at the Cemetery of St. Mary's Church, Bellaghy, County Londonderry. The headstone bears the epitaph "WALK ON AIR AGAINST YOUR BETTER JUDGEMENT".

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by Flickr user Sean O'Connor [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
3,612 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book worth the price. They also find the reading experience entertaining with elegant prose. Readers describe the storyline as great, epic, and engaging. They say the content is wonderful, modern, and easy to understand. Opinions differ on the difficulty level, with some finding it worth the patience and time, while others find it confusing and hard to follow.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more
Literary meritContentStorylineReadabilityValuePoetic styleDescriptive writingDifficulty level
158 customers mention "Literary merit"125 positive33 negative

Customers find the literary merit of the book elegant, with both old and modern English. They also appreciate the words fit well and flow like the soft voice. Readers also say celebrity translations perform important cultural work and are brilliant in their simplicity.

"...This translation is very readable and enjoyable as a tale. It doesn't at all require work to understand what's going on." Read more

"...The translation is beautiful, the characters moved me, and I fell in love with Beowulf. I even fell in love with UNFERTH...." Read more

"...easily understood from an initial reading thanks to the translation’s elegant prose, making the read not only short in length but quick in absorption..." Read more

"...What makes this so magical is how the words fit so well, and flow like the soft voice that once spoke them...." Read more

100 customers mention "Content"90 positive10 negative

Customers find the content wonderful, deep, and easy to understand. They also appreciate the surprisingly useful introduction. Readers say the book is especially good for students, and they enjoy the history and location of the main groups. They mention that the book makes Beowolf fun and accessible.

"...The Introduction is also surprisingly useful and interesting, but a word to the wise, when you come across the words "ABOUT THIS TRANSLATION,"..." Read more

"...And adding to that length the content was deep, yet very easily understood from an initial reading thanks to the translation’s elegant prose, making..." Read more

"...Both books are beautifully written, have depth, stay with you, but not always easy to read...." Read more

"This is such a great work; the story is inspiring and the writing is beautiful...." Read more

40 customers mention "Storyline"35 positive5 negative

Customers find the storyline great, epic, and vivid. They also say the translation maintains the tension and adventure of the story, while making it accessible. Readers also mention that the book is profoundly moving, heroic, and rousing.

"...finally saw what everyone was always ranting and raving about, THE STORY IS FANTASTIC...." Read more

"...This epic poem, an adventure story with loads of vivid action, is exciting to read. It pretty much focuses with Beowulf...." Read more

"This is first and foremost a heroic adventure. It's a roaring good story of an upright hero and king who would literally give his life to uphold..." Read more

"...convey the literal sense of the Old English words and provide a readily understood storyline, prose can never adequately render the poetic essence..." Read more

24 customers mention "Readability"24 positive0 negative

Customers find the book entertaining, interesting, and challenging. They also say it's fun for the whole family.

"...This translation is very readable and enjoyable as a tale. It doesn't at all require work to understand what's going on." Read more

"...The Introduction is also surprisingly useful and interesting, but a word to the wise, when you come across the words "ABOUT THIS TRANSLATION,"..." Read more

"...Overall Beowulf was quick and enjoyable, without many negatives to find, and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, and is something I see myself..." Read more

"...This epic poem, an adventure story with loads of vivid action, is exciting to read. It pretty much focuses with Beowulf...." Read more

14 customers mention "Value"14 positive0 negative

Customers find the book worth the price and effort to learn Anglo-Saxon pronunciation.

"...The Anglo-Saxon & English are given on facing pages. It can be worth the effort to learn Anglo-Saxon pronunciation...." Read more

"...glimpse into court life in the early middle ages is itself worth the price of admission...." Read more

"...Great price." Read more

"...His modern translation is unparalleled, so it is worth purchasing this version...." Read more

8 customers mention "Poetic style"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the poetic style smooth and musical, intuiting the spirit of the book. They also say the audio CD is the perfect way to enjoy Beowulf.

"...What makes this so magical is how the words fit so well, and flow like the soft voice that once spoke them...." Read more

"...The Farrar, Straus and Giroux edition is a markedly handsome volume, a bilingual presentation with the Anglo-Saxon original and Heaney's translation..." Read more

"Haeney is a poet, whose sense of prosody and rhythm is powerful, and makes several passages sing." Read more

"...He understands what the original writer intended, and finds resonance in today's spoken English...." Read more

6 customers mention "Descriptive writing"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's descriptive writing great, real, and accurate. They also say it's a rendering of a work that is both old and new.

"...They convey emotion, imagery, sound. The dragon "rippled down the rock, writhing with anger" and it "hurtled forth in a fiery blaze."..." Read more

"...This version gives a very graphic, almost visual feel to the events.I enjoyed the bilingual format...." Read more

"...Try this one. An astonishing verse translation that brings the original to vivid life, from probably the finest poet of recent years." Read more

"...However, this one to me is so real and good, it is as if i was there with Beowulf. If you are a Beowulf fan, then you have to get this book...." Read more

11 customers mention "Difficulty level"4 positive7 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the difficulty level of the book. Some find it well worth the patience and time spent on it, while others say it's confusing and hard to follow.

"...shows up four or five lines later - thus the numbering of the lines is nearly meaningless...." Read more

"...Yet they are well worth the patience and time spent on them." Read more

"...thing about textbooks/books in kindle is that there is no hard page numbering system, so it's really spotty if a prof tells you to read pages 56-70..." Read more

"...Talk about ouch--it was hard to follow and dull, but Heaney's is not and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading an epic." Read more

Not for learning Old English and not for experiencing the story anew.
2 Stars
Not for learning Old English and not for experiencing the story anew.
Unfortunately the kindle edition of this translation has been ruined by bad formatting. For readers who are reading Beowulf for the very first time, every 10 lines the editors have inserted a brief summary of the next ten lines, serving as a spoiler every 10 lines. (As if readers are too dumb to figure out what's happening in the text and need not just summaries but summaries before each segment.) They're impossible to ignore and can't be turned off.For the readers who want to compare the Old English text with the translated text, this isn't possible either, since they're not interspersed like in the print edition; the entirety of the translated text appears after the end of the entirety of the Old English text, and there are no shortcuts for skipping from a given page and its translation.So disappointing. I highly recommend getting the print edition of this one.
Hide
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

Bjorn E
5.0 out of 5 stars Very readable epic
Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2024
Verified Purchase
I had no idea that Seamus Heaney was a Nobel price winner, but I wasn't surprised when I learned it. This translation is very readable and enjoyable as a tale. It doesn't at all require work to understand what's going on.
Helpful
 Report
Sean Perri
5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic Worth Revisiting
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2010
Verified Purchase
Like most people, I first had Beowulf shoved in my face, for better or worse, in high school. At the time I HATED it. Beowulf came off as a completely unlikeable god character who's ego was not only stroked by himself at EVERY opportunity, but (excluding Unferth) also by everyone he met! Maybe I hated it because my typical young, angst-ridden high school mind was just attracted to more vulnerable characters (see Ender's Game). Maybe I had been reading some other translation, dumbed down for American public school students. Maybe it was my British Literature teacher's droning apathy whenever she spoke about it. I don't know.

What I do know:

Something made me give Beowulf a second chance. I didn't research the different translations, hell, I think the first time I saw Seamus' name was when I first looked at the spine. I just happened to get lucky. The night it hit my doorstep I picked it up and read it in one sitting. Make no mistake, it was a pretty long sitting. I finally saw what everyone was always ranting and raving about, THE STORY IS FANTASTIC. The translation is beautiful, the characters moved me, and I fell in love with Beowulf. I even fell in love with UNFERTH. I also have no recollection, from my high school read, and was quite surprised of the Christianity that sneaks in throughout. There's all sorts of little "one true god" type quips that you might totally miss if you aren't paying attention.

What really hit me was the whole warrior culture and how gifts and riches are bestowed at the drop of a hat. Even when, for example, Hrothgar is giving out prizes you've never even seen or heard of before, the weight of the bounty remains intact. You find yourself grinning at the abundance of shiny things and don't even care to know why Beowulf needs nineteen different wardresses. Also Beowulf has one of the best endings I've witnessed in any story. All around I was delighted, and more than happy with my decision to give it another shot.

The Introduction is also surprisingly useful and interesting, but a word to the wise, when you come across the words "ABOUT THIS TRANSLATION," seriously just stop. Stop reading, I assure you, its just 9 pages of boring crap you will NEVER care about. The only little nugget of somewhat worthwhile information that is offered here is how he made his choice to open the poem with the word "so" instead of "hark." Seriously that's it, you're welcome.

Five stars all around I'd recommend this book to anyone. Also I had no idea the Old English text was included alongside the translated. This is little more than novelty to me but its still pretty cool.

...Although it does kind of piss me off, knowing I could have bought the same book at half the size and price.
3 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Nick Miller-Katenkamp
5.0 out of 5 stars A classic that can appeal to a younger generation
Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2015
Verified Purchase
*Spoilers*
What I loved instantly about Beowulf was its length. At only 100 or so pages of actual English and not the Old English that is written in its original form on the side, it seemed the least daunting of the famous epic poems to tackle. And adding to that length the content was deep, yet very easily understood from an initial reading thanks to the translation’s elegant prose, making the read not only short in length but quick in absorption. Instantly I enjoyed the poetic writing of Heaney which made the tale feel ancient as it is, but also fresh and urging to be explored.
Knowing very little about Beowulf initially the plot did somewhat surprise me in its simplicity. Beowulf is a great man whose honor and strength reign supreme to all that live on earth, and throughout this story he proves himself twice against horrifying monsters, then grows old and dies defeating his final foe, ultimately leaving his people, the Geats, without a leader and doomed for war. Although the somewhat simple plot, the underlying message of Beowulf very much resonated in me.
First off the value of honor is on full display here, but what the poet seemed to comment on foremost was the eye for an eye system that ruled over the lands in which the poem takes place. The text is littered with stories that seemingly have no relevance when first seen, such as how an arranged marriage with likely end in the death of a wife, but serve to stand for the overall theme of the book, this sense of predestined fate and helplessness to it. This is seen clearly in Beowulf’s death how every Geat is in fear that their king is dead, his presence the only thing keeping them from being invaded for all of these years is gone and now an unknown fate awaits them. At this ending the whole purpose of Beowulf’s importance is in question. Even despite his other worldly deeds at his death his people are week and will likely be defeated in war to a cycle of bloodshed that will never know a true victor. But Beowulf understands his mortality as told to him by the old king Hrothgar, that gold means nothing to an old man on his deathbed and not to think one’s self invincible. And what makes Beowulf a supreme character is that he takes this advice to heart and is the epitome of honor and the savior of his people. He is constantly aware that a higher power is determining whether he succeeds or fails, and is even able to sense his death, and while sad it seems like the proper end for such a warrior. Beowulf becomes almost a perfect figure with perhaps the only back draw his quest for glory, though it seems just the way of the times.
There is no need to change up the tale to include elements that the 2007 Hollywood movie did. They only serve to cheapen the character of Beowulf, and thus diminish the entire theme and values of this poem. Overall Beowulf was quick and enjoyable, without many negatives to find, and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, and is something I see myself reading again.
10 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
John Earle
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent translation of an English epic!
Reviewed in Canada on September 17, 2023
Verified Purchase
I’ve read every translation of Beowulf. This one sparkles with its pace and fluidity. It really comes alive. The introduction gives the reader some insight into how you gear up before plunging into a story from 1500 years ago. The magic of Beowulf always makes me wonder how much Anglo Saxon poetry was lost.
One person found this helpful
 Report
HELENA B.
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect sending, quick and in outstanding order!
Reviewed in Germany on May 14, 2024
Verified Purchase
Libreria Chiari deserves to be praised - contrary to Rarewaves.de!
Report
Solène
5.0 out of 5 stars RAS
Reviewed in France on May 27, 2023
Verified Purchase
Rien à dire, reçu nickel 👌🏻
Report
Caio
5.0 out of 5 stars Obra-prima
Reviewed in Brazil on February 19, 2021
Verified Purchase
É um livro curto, mas de ritmo intenso. Não aproveitei em nada o original em anglo-saxão, mas o inglês é belo, rico e carrega grande autenticidade. Um livro para ser lido devagar, transportando a mente para outros mundos.
3 people found this helpful
 Report
Margarita
5.0 out of 5 stars Rapidez y eficacia
Reviewed in Spain on May 16, 2021
Verified Purchase
Por estudios
Report