This collection of essays is designed to capitalize on the success of Seamus Heaney' prize-winning translation of Beowulf, which bridges the gap between the ivory tower where most who study Beowulf reside and lay readers drawn to the poem because of Heaney's reputation, the review in the New York Times Book Review, the Whitbread Prize for poetry, and even perhaps the attractive and eye-catching cover. The book is conceived in three parts. The first section explores translations into modern English and languages other than English; the second explores issues of oral theory and performance; the third offers a wide selection of reviews of Heaney's Beowulf written by Anglo-Saxonists. A DVD of readings of the first fifty-two lines of Beowulf in Old English, Czech, Spanish, Icelandic, Hungarian, and Italian, and selections from Turkish and Asian epics accompanies the volume.
