Beowulf

£9.99

A man seeks to prove himself as a hero. A monster seeks silence in his territory. A warrior seeks to avenge her murdered son. A dragon ends it all. This radical new feminist verse translation of ‘Beowulf’ by Maria Dahvana Headley brings to light elements that have never before been translated into English. The familiar elements of the epic poem are seen with a novelist’s eye toward gender, genre, and history – it has always been a tale of entitlement and encroachment, powerful men seeking to become more powerful, and one woman seeking justice for her child, but this version brings new context to an old story. While crafting her contemporary adaptation of ‘Beowulf’, Headley unearthed significant shifts lost over centuries, transforming the binary narrative of monsters and heroes into a thrilling tale in which the two categories often entwine.

In stock

Description

A GUARDIAN, NEW STATESMAN, SPECTATOR, AND IRISH TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR

A new, feminist translation of Beowulf by the author of the acclaimed novel The Mere Wife.

Nearly twenty years after Seamus Heaney’s translation of Beowulf – and fifty years after the translation that continues to torment students around the world – there is a radical new verse interpretation of the epic poem by Maria Dahvana Headley, which brings to light elements never before translated into English.

A man seeks to prove himself as a hero. A monster seeks silence in his territory. A warrior seeks to avenge her murdered son. A dragon ends it all. These familiar components of the epic poem are seen with a novelist’s eye towards gender, genre, and history. Beowulf has always been a tale of entitlement and encroachment – of powerful men seeking to become more powerful and one woman seeking justice for her child – but this version brings new context to an old story. While crafting her contemporary adaptation, Headley unearthed significant shifts lost over centuries of translation.

Additional information

Weight 198 g
Dimensions 19.8 × 12.9 × 1.3 cm
Author

Publisher

Scribe UK

Imprint

Cover

Paperback

Pages

176

Language

English

Edition
Dewey

829.3 (edition:23)

Readership

General – Trade / Code: K