Beowulf: A Verse Translation: A Norton Critical Edition (Norton Critical Editions)

“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 accessible and engaging.” ―Tim Melnarik, California State University, San Bernardino

This Norton Critical Edition includes:


• Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney’s poetic translation of the great Anglo-Saxon epic―winner of the Whitbread Prize―along with his translator’s introduction.
• Detailed explanatory annotations and an introduction to Old English language and prosody by Daniel Donoghue.
• More than two dozen visuals, including, new to the Second Edition, a fine selection of objects from the Staffordshire Hoard.
• A rich array of Anglo-Saxon and early northern civilization materials, providing student readers with Beowulf’s cultural and historical context.
• Nine critical interpretations, three of them new to the Second Edition.
• A glossary of personal names and a selected bibliography.

About the Series

Read by more than 12 million students over fifty-five years, Norton Critical Editions set the standard for apparatus that is right for undergraduate readers. The three-part format―annotated text, contexts, and criticism―helps students to better understand, analyze, and appreciate the literature, while opening a wide range of teaching possibilities for instructors. Whether in print or in digital format, Norton Critical Editions provide all the resources students need.