Beowulf

By: Seamus Heaney - translator

Narrated by: George Guidall

Length: 4 hrs and 8 mins

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.

Public Domain (P)2004 Recorded Books

Brings the ancient story and poem alive

I remember this from high school English mostly only as an example of how unintelligible early English was to a modern speaker. I think we were also exposed to a translation, but am not sure. I did remember it as something about a man defeating a monster, but that was about it.

Beowulf was written sometime between 700 and 1000 AD (which is the date of the only existing ancient manuscript, which itself was almost lost in the 1800s). A modern reader of the original might be able to recognize or guess only a few words. Fortunately, it has been translated many times, some good and some not so good. This is a translation to modern English by Seamus Heaney and is considered one of the best. 

Beowulf was, a century or more ago, seen as important only because it was the oldest poem in Old English (or Anglo-Saxon, depending on who you ask) and preserved that language for the modern world. It certainly was not just an older version of modern English which was heavily influenced by French after 1066. However, whatever you want to call it, it was looked down on by scholars even in the 19th century as a relic of a barbaric age and far below the “civilized” influence of Roman and Greek culture. Ancient English was not worth studying, and the philosopher Thomas Case wrote, about a proposal to start a school of Anglo-Saxon English at Oxford, that “We are about to reverse the Renaissance.”

The Renaissance was not reversed but the result was a different renaissance of the study of the ancient language of England and neighboring areas as well as the ancient culture and myths. Indirectly, it influenced the literature of authors such as J. R. R. Tolkien. 

Beowulf  was written in what is now England, but the story is based in what is now Denmark and southern Sweden (and I’ll use those terms from here on). Beowulf traveled from Sweden to Denmark to help the great king Hrothgar whose kingdom is plagued by a monster Grendel. Beowulf kills him with his bare hands and later kills his mother when she came to take vengeance on those who had killed her son. Beowulf then returned to Sweden and eventually became king of the Geats. In his later years, a great dragon appeared and wreaked havoc on his kingdom. Beowulf kills him too, but is mortally wounded and is cremated on a great ceremonial pyle and his ashes buried in a great mound by the sea. 

Interesting are the many Christian references found in the poem and it’s not clear if these were a part of the original or were added later as England became more and more Christianized. One of the references is that the great monster Grendel is called a descendant of Cain. There are also references to the Biblical creation narrative, the great flood of Noah, and the devil, hell, and a final judgment. Yet, despite the Christian themes, it is clearly more pagan in origin. If written when and where most scholars believe, that part of England had already begun to observe a form of Christianity that was mixed with Germanic pagan myths. 

For me, it is interesting because it heavily influenced the writings of Tolkein and also C. S. Lewis. It's also not a long book. If you are interested, this translation is easily understandable and will bring this ancient poem to life and preserves the structure that makes it poetry. If you have no interest the ancient story of Beowulf, then it is not for you. 

good pick. it was worth the cost.

easy listening. loads of fun. made my weekend more fun
the commentary was well placed.

Revisiting an old friend.

While I have several stacks of TBR books sitting in my house, I found my self revisiting an old friend while looking for an audio book for at work. As always, Beowulf did not disappoint, and neither did this authors translation.

I can never thank my HS English teacher enough for introducing me to a genre of books that so helped develop my love of reading.

Riveting

One of the best audible books of Beowulf I’ve ever heard. I especially liked the essay at the end by Seamus Haney. Everything he said is true.

BEOWULF AT THE DOOR

Well presented with an insightful appendix. Seamus Hearney explains how he translated Beowulf and some of the difficulties in its translation. George Guidall presented Hearney's translation with the clarity it deserves.

A very nice reading of a classic

Beowulf is not the easiest story to keep up with, as it has references much different than classical Greek or Roman ones, but the presenter does a great job of throwing you into the gory fights with Grendel, his mother, and the Dragon.

Loved it

At only a few hours long, there is absolutely no reason for anyone not to listen to Beowulf at least once in their life. A fascinating story in its own right as well as a look at what the people of that time valued in their leaders.

Brag much?

While Beowulf is known for how he killed Grendel and his mother, his exploits seem to take only 25% of the word count in this book while the other 75% is him telling others about just how much of an awesome guy he is--and how awesome God is too. I probably could have stopped after the first hour and a half and been good. Especially since the last battle with the dragon seemed like such a troupe (maybe not for back in the 900s, but with the plethora of fantasy novels nowadays, it came off as basic). I think that George Guidall was the good choice of narrator for this story.

Perfect translation excellent reading

George Guidall brings life to the words of Heaney’s translation. Listen to the essay at the end to get more of a feel for Heaney’s process.

Wonderful Translation and Introduction.

Heaney's translation makes this work so much easier to enjoy than what I tried, and failed, to read in high school.
The introduction is in the last three Audible chapters, not up front. A great way to avoid spoilers.