Beowulf Audiobook By Seamus Heaney cover art

Beowulf

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Beowulf

By: Seamus Heaney
Narrated by: Seamus Heaney
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Translated and read by Seamus Heaney.

New York Times best seller and Whitebread Book of the Year, Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney's new translation of Beowulf comes to life in this gripping audio. Heaney's performance reminds us that Beowulf, written near the turn of another millennium, was intended to be heard not read.

Composed toward the end of the first millennium of our era, Beowulf is the elegiac narrative of the adventures of Beowulf, a Scandinavian hero who saves the Danes from the seemingly invincible monster Grendel and, later, from Grendel's mother. He then returns to his own country and lives to old age before dying in a vivid fight against a dragon.

The poem is about encountering the monstrous, defeating it, and then having to live on in the exhausted aftermath. In the contours of this story, at once remote and uncannily familiar at the end of the twentieth century, Seamus Heaney finds a resonance that summons power to the poetry from deep beneath its surface.

©2000 Seamus Heaney (P)2000 Penguin Books Ltd., by arrangement with the BBC. Published by arrangement with W. W. Norton. Classics Hugo Award Fiction

Critic reviews

"The classic eighth-century English poem is strikingly presented, making accessible the story of a young man's heroic journey to find and slay two monsters." (Publishers Weekly)
Epic Heroic Tale • Timeless Classic • Beautiful Narration • Thrilling Adventure • Poetic Storytelling • Authentic Accent

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Seamus Heaney is a wonderful poet and a wonderful reader: listening to him is like hearing the original poet holding forth. But the reading is abridged, in what seems more like a marketing decision -- trying to fit the audiobook onto a two-CD set -- than an artistic one. "Beowulf" could certainly use some abridgement here and there, and I wouldn't mind if there were only minor omissions; but among the episodes cut is the challenge that Unferth issues to Beowulf about his swimming contest with Brecca. This isn't just empty padding: it's essential to the characters of both Unferth and Beowulf. In many ways this is the best single recording of "Beowulf" available: why couldn't there be an unabridged (or at least a less-abridged) version as well? That would get six stars out of five. No other version comes close to the mastery of language shown by this one.

Why, oh, why is it abridged?

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I got this for a school report and it was so much better to listen to it then read it. Seamus Heaney has a great voice for the part and was able to make even the parts where they are just listing Danish kings interesting.

Well Done

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I loved the narration; I read along with the physical copy of the book and had to skip around sometimes since it cut out certain parts. It was still well worth it; the author is so soothing to listen to that I was sad when it was over

Excellent but abridged, also lacks the introduction

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Seamus Heaney’s translation and narration of Beowulf bring this ancient story vividly to life.

Anyone who loves a thrilling story should listen to this. It’s not a dry history lesson; it’s an exciting story of kings, monsters, and great battles.

Superb

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Truly a classic! First read this epic 40+ years ago and Beowulf stands the test of time!

Fantastic Translation.

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