Beowulf

By: Robert K. Gordon, translator

Narrated by: Robertson Dean

Length: 2 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

Beowulf is considered the finest heroic poem in Old English. It celebrates the character and exploits of Beowulf, a young nobleman and warrior, as he proves his superhuman strength and endurance. He also represents the ideal lord and vassal, rewarding his men generously and accomplishing glorious deeds to honor his king.

The narrative falls into two parts. Beowulf first rescues the royal house of Denmark from two marauding monsters; then, after having ruled his people for fifty years, he is called on to combat a dragon that is terrorizing the countryside.

The poem combines mythical elements, Christian and pagan sensibilities, and actual historical figures and events in a narrative that ranges from vivid descriptions of fierce fighting and detailed portrayals of court life to earnest considerations of social and moral dilemmas. Remarkable for its sustained grandeur of tone and its brilliance of style, it is presented here in an authoritative prose translation by Robert K. Gordon.

To supplement the full text version of Beowulf, listen to the SparkNotes Guide for Beowulf.

©2004 Blackstone Audiobooks (P)2004 Blackstone Audiobooks

Timeless classic that should be read

This is one of those books you just need to read. It’s a classic that requires little time to finish. It is packed with tales of glory and honor. Give it a read I think you will find it fun.

Excellent

This is an excellent translation and performance by the reader. I highly recommend this recording.

Translator Preferred

While I would personally prefer the translation of Prof. J.R.R. Tolkien the Gordon translation is generally preferred and is quite excellent. Well read and presented by the reader this is a must read for those interested in early literature of the early Middle Ages. No one who's picked up at least a B.A. in English or the humanities has missed reading this classic of European literature, but it's interesting to revisit it in an audible format.

Had to stop listening.

Love this book, but the reader was so histrionic that I couldn't finish listening. Yeowch.

Hard to follow

The translation of this ancient and exciting story is to an archaic form of English, making it hard to follow and less approachable for non-native English speakers.

Clear and exciting narration

Probably the best unabridged recording of "Beowulf" available. It's the whole thing, in an old-fashioned but easily-followed translation, read with force and emotion by Robertson Dean. I have only one small quibble: the pronunciation of "Geat" is inconsistent. It's not the easiest term to pin down; in readings by different people I've heard "geet," "gat," and "gay-at." (I believe the original pronunciation was something like "yat.") I don't care which one is right, but I heard two of the three in this recording (it finally settles on "gat"). The story does ramble a bit after Grendel's mother is killed, but neither translator nor reader should be faulted for that.

great yet dry

if you are really into the story, characters or the style it's a great listen, but if you are just buying it and just need to kill 3 hours it will be very dry and difficult to follow. concentrating on whose talking and what's going on is a bit of a struggle at parts but can be managed.

The narrator did a great job, good story, too.

The narrator did a great job. As for the story, I believe most of the new video games, especially fantasy and slash and dash games, have taken inspiration from Beowlf.
Both the story and the narrator have made me feel like I'm watching and playing a video game, and it was a fun experience.
The only thing that was difficult to follow was the characters because the majority had unfamiliar names to me.

Five Stars

Easy to understand translation and very pleasing to listen to. I recommend listening to this audiobook.

Clear and Bold

The speaking was very clear. He told a great story in a great way. This is a fantastic rendition.