Beowulf

By: Stephen Mitchell

Narrated by: Stephen Mitchell

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.

©2017 Stephen Mitchell (P)2017 Recorded Books

Delightful and insightful

Though narration a bit too quiet and dry for my liking, it was clear and well-paced for the story. No awkward bad acting, which is good. The story is one I’d studied in college and actually listened to by another narrator in 2020. I was once again astonished at the compelling nature of the story and how detailed the sheer sensitivity that the inner thoughts of various characters brought to bear on the humanity of this historically significant piece of poetic literature. Very glad for the experience!

Well written

For some reason the audio is very quiet and it makes it hard to hear

Excellent

This is an evocative retelling of the ancient story of Beowulf. I loved the narration: a real sense of understanding every word gave it a deep sincerity.

The reader is a scholar, not a performer.

The reader, who I understand to also be the translator, did an excellent job in portraying the story but his affect was very flat.

Not a great reading.

Another example of an author (or translator, in this case) who should not be reading his own work.