Beowulf: An Illustrated Edition - Softcover

Seamus Heaney; John D. Niles

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0393330109 ISBN 13: 9780393330106

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, 2007

Synopsis

"Accomplish[es] what before now had seemed impossible: a faithful rendering that is simultaneously an original and gripping poem in its own right." The New York Times Book Review

Composed toward the end of the first millennium, Beowulf ?is the elegiac narrative of the Scandinavian hero who saves the Danes from the seemingly invincible monster Grendel and, later, from Grendel's mother. Drawn to what he has called the "four-squareness of the utterance" in ?Beowulf ?and its immense emotional credibility Seamus Heaney gives the great epic convincing reality But how to visualize the poet's story has always been a challenge for modern-day readers. In Beowulf: An Illustrated Edition, John D. Niles, a specialist in Old English literature, provides visual counterparts to Heaney's remarkable translation. More than one hundred full-page illustrations-Viking warships, chain mail, lyres, spearheads, even a reconstruction of the Great Hall-make visible Beowulf's world and the elemental themes of his story: death, divine power, horror, heroism, disgrace, devotion, and fame. This mysterious world is now transformed into one of material splendor as readers view its elegant goblets, dragon images, and finely crafted gold jewelry against the backdrop of the Danish landscape of its origins.

About this title

Review:

"I wish that the astonishing and powerful Seamus Heaney translation of Beowulf had been available when Roger Avary and I first wrote our film script. Heaney's reading of his own Beowulf has been on my iPod for the last two years, and I play it when my blood needs stirring. This illustrated edition is possibly the finest version of Heaney's translation yet, and is the next best thing to being in the mead hall at Heorat, watching the action, with Heaney chanting it beside you." --Neil Gaiman

Synopsis:

Composed at the end of the first millennium, "Beowulf" is the elegiac narrative of the Scandinavian hero who saves the Danes from the seemingly invincible monster Grendel and later, from Grendel's mother. Drawn to its immense emotional credibility, Seamus Heaney gives the great epic convincing reality for today's reader.In "Beowulf: An Illustrated Edition", John D. Niles brings Heaney's best-selling translation to life. Full-page illustrations-Viking warships, chain mail, lyres, spearheads, a reconstruction of a Great Hall-make visible Beowulf's world and the themes of his story: death, divine power, horror, heroism, disgrace, devotion and fame. This mysterious world becomes more amazing after viewing the objects and the landscape of its origins.

About this edition

• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0393330109
• ISBN 13: 9780393330106
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 288