Beowulf: An Updated Verse Translation

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. "No self-respecting college professor will want his students to be without it... Renditions in modern English haven't taken the poetry of the original very seriously - but what a shock now that someone has! With the subtle rules of alliteration, stress, and pause in place - and with a translator bold enough to invent his own vigorous and imaginative compound nouns - the poem suddenly takes flight and carries us to the highest mountains of achievement." ("Booklist")