All Formats & Editions

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"... Read Full Overview

A brilliant and faithful rendering of the Anglo-Saxon epic from the Nobel laureate.

"Alexander's translation is marked by a conviction that it is possible to be both ambitious and faithful and] ...communicates the poem with a care which goes beyond fidelity-to-meaning and reaches fidelity of implication. May it go on ... to another half-million copies." - Tom... Read Full Overview

The greatest surviving Old English poem rendered into modern prose Beowulf stands at the head of English literature; a poem of historical interest and epic scope. Although the first manuscript of Beowulf dates from around the year 1000 CE, it is thought that the poem existed... Read Full Overview

This early Anglo-Saxon poem tells the epic tale of a young Scandinavian swordsman as he saves cities, and kills dragons.Records of this work survived into the modern age from as long ago as the early 800's AD. It is one of the first written stories in the English language. The... Read Full Overview

"Alexander's translation is marked by a conviction that it is possible to be both ambitious and faithful and] ...communicates the poem with a care which goes beyond fidelity-to-meaning and reaches fidelity of implication. May it go on ... to another half-million copies."... Read Full Overview

"Accomplishes what before now had seemed impossible: a faithful rendering that is simultaneously an original and gripping poem in its own right." -- New York Times Book Review "Excellent ancillary materials in this critical edition make a potentially alienating text and culture... Read Full Overview

The first major poem in English literature, Beowulf tells the story of the life and death of the legendary hero Beowulf in his three great battles with supernatural monsters. The ideal Anglo-Saxon warrior-aristocrat, Beowulf is an example of the heroic spirit at its finest. Leading... Read Full Overview

The finest literary work passed down to us from Anglo-Saxon times, Beowulf celebrates the existence of heroism in a dark world of feuds, violence, and uncertainty. Set in the legendary Scandinavian past, Beowulf comes to the aid of the Danish king Hrothgar by killing the terrifying... Read Full Overview

A widely celebrated translator's vivid, accessible, and elegantly concise rendering of an ancient English masterpiece

"Alexander's translation is marked by a conviction that it is possible to be both ambitious and faithful [and] ...communicates the poem with a care which goes beyond fidelity-to-meaning and reaches fidelity of implication. May it go on ... to another half-million copies."... Read Full Overview

J. R. R. Tolkien, author of LORD OF THE RINGS and THE HOBBIT, in his famous 1936 lecture, BEOWULF, THE MONSTERS AND THE CRITICS, said, "BEOWULF is among my most valued sources. It is a work of genius, rare and surprising in the period, and it is worth studying. In BEOWULF we... Read Full Overview

One of the most universally studied of the English classics, Beowulf is considered the finest heroic poem in Old English. Written ten centuries ago, it celebrates the character and exploits of Beowulf, a young nobleman of the Geats, a people of southern Sweden.
Beowulf first... Read Full Overview

Read great works of literature with NO FEAR--and actually understand what they mean
No Fear Literature puts the world's finest books at your fingertips With the complete original text on the left-hand page, and an easy-to-follow translation on the right to... Read Full Overview

Frederick Klaeber's Beowulf has long been the standard edition for study by students and advanced scholars alike. Its wide-ranging coverage of scholarship, its comprehensive philological aids, and its exceptionally thorough notes and glossary have ensured its continued use... Read Full Overview

The acclaimed verse translation of the timeless epic tale of bravery and battle--the enduring saga of the hero Beowulf and the monster Grendel--the first true masterpiece of English literature.

"There are lots of translations of Beowulf floating... Read Full Overview