The original manuscript of the Beowulf poem is still in existence but the text is written in “Old English” literature which is hard for us to understand. Thanks to all those authors who wrote books in their own translations which makes it a lot much easier for us to fully understand the poem.
On this post, let us cover the five Beowulf books that are available from the Amazon which I best recommend for you to read. These books were written by their authors with the purpose of making the entire context understandable to the readers. Some of the books even used illustrations.
Seamus Heaney
What makes Heaney’s book interesting is that, it has the Old English version on it at the left side of the pages. Then on the right side is the modern English translation that is so very readable and easy to understand.
Each lines of the poems are listed in a group of ten on the left side margin of the pages. As a reader, you can easily make comparison between the original Old English version from Heaney’s own translation.
Anonymous
The Anonymous author has published a book that gave readers short and concise introduction about the important background events of the story. He also put emphasis on the timeline or dates to give the book some of its historical context.
To further help readers understand the whole plot of the story, there are outline of key themes and short explanation that helps the readers create their own perspective view of point. The author also provided his critical analysis and modern perspectives by the scholars.
Benedict Flynn
Flynn’s book or translation uses modern alliterative verse which is the same as the original Old English script. Thus, the translation is meant to be read aloud for the audience. It can also be used for theatrical play.
Michael Foreman
Story of Beowulf is not for children because it contains a lot of violence especially on the part where Grendel is portrayed as a monster that eats human flesh. However, the story is still quite interesting for young audiences to hear. Thanks to Foreman’s own translation where he wrote a version that is perfectly suitable for children.
The real author’s name is “Michael Morpurgo” who already wrote a lot of books and won so many awards. Some of his books are even turned into films.
Dover Thrift Editions
If you are studying literature or you simply prefer the original version of the poem in its Old English form then this Dover Thrift Editions would be the book that is right for you. This isn’t a book for children or someone who is new to the story. It is more intended for scholars with an attempt to discover and extract historical facts from the poem.
Short Summary
If you are looking for Beowulf’s book to read for your children then I recommend the book authored Foreman. Heaney, Anonymous and Flynn are best for adults. While for those who has good knowledge in the Old English literature, you may want to choose the Dover Thrift Editions.
On this post, let us cover the five Beowulf books that are available from the Amazon which I best recommend for you to read. These books were written by their authors with the purpose of making the entire context understandable to the readers. Some of the books even used illustrations.
Seamus Heaney
What makes Heaney’s book interesting is that, it has the Old English version on it at the left side of the pages. Then on the right side is the modern English translation that is so very readable and easy to understand.
Each lines of the poems are listed in a group of ten on the left side margin of the pages. As a reader, you can easily make comparison between the original Old English version from Heaney’s own translation.
Anonymous
The Anonymous author has published a book that gave readers short and concise introduction about the important background events of the story. He also put emphasis on the timeline or dates to give the book some of its historical context.
To further help readers understand the whole plot of the story, there are outline of key themes and short explanation that helps the readers create their own perspective view of point. The author also provided his critical analysis and modern perspectives by the scholars.
Benedict Flynn
Flynn’s book or translation uses modern alliterative verse which is the same as the original Old English script. Thus, the translation is meant to be read aloud for the audience. It can also be used for theatrical play.
Michael Foreman
Story of Beowulf is not for children because it contains a lot of violence especially on the part where Grendel is portrayed as a monster that eats human flesh. However, the story is still quite interesting for young audiences to hear. Thanks to Foreman’s own translation where he wrote a version that is perfectly suitable for children.
The real author’s name is “Michael Morpurgo” who already wrote a lot of books and won so many awards. Some of his books are even turned into films.
Dover Thrift Editions
If you are studying literature or you simply prefer the original version of the poem in its Old English form then this Dover Thrift Editions would be the book that is right for you. This isn’t a book for children or someone who is new to the story. It is more intended for scholars with an attempt to discover and extract historical facts from the poem.
Short Summary
If you are looking for Beowulf’s book to read for your children then I recommend the book authored Foreman. Heaney, Anonymous and Flynn are best for adults. While for those who has good knowledge in the Old English literature, you may want to choose the Dover Thrift Editions.
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