È da un bel po' che volevo leggere Beowulf, almeno da quando l'ho studiato al liceo. Non so perché, ma lo scontro tra Beowulf e Grendel mi è rimasto impresso e mi ha acceso il desiderio di leggere l'intero poema.

Quindi, quando è uscita questa edizione tradotta e commentata da Tolkien, ho capito che era venuto il momento di togliersi questo sfizio (soprattutto dopo averla reperita nell'usato a metà prezzo).

Ad essere sincera, quando ho visto che la traduzione era in prosa, sono rimasta un po' perplessa: di solito cerco di evitarle, ma, dopo aver letto questa, sono propensa a rivedere la mia posizione intransigente. Infatti, nonostante il verso sia stato soppresso, nella traduzione rimane una certa musicalità e, sorprendentemente per me, non ho sentito la mancanza della metrica.

Per quanto riguarda, poi, la qualità della traduzione, non so che dire, se non che molti studiosi sono scettici, ritenendola poco ortodossa. Da semplice lettrice posso dire di averla trovata gradevole e molto attenta a rispettare il valore narrativo del poema. Voglio dire, ho avuto l'impressione che Tolkien, oltre a fare una buona traduzione, si sia preoccupato anche di renderla godibile al lettore, di dargli una bella storia da leggere, com'era nel suo stile.

Parlando poi del commento, be', direi che è la gioia del lettore che poco o nulla sa del Beowulf. È il commento che il lettore curioso di scoprire nuovi mondi e culture sogna di trovare in ogni testo che richieda un simile supporto. Posso assicurarvi che non ha niente di autoreferenziale, ovvero di quei commenti volti unicamente a farci sapere quanto è intelligente e colto il curatore dell'opera.

Il commento di Tolkien, grazie anche al lavoro di suo figlio Christopher, è chiarificatore di un poema che fa riferimento a un mondo così lontano dal nostro da rendere necessaria una buona spiegazione per renderlo comprensibile al lettore di oggi. Sono, quindi, rimasta molto soddisfatta da questa lettura e mi sento di consigliare questa edizione a chiunque abbia voglia di avvicinarsi a quest'opera. ( )

Meh ( )

Tolkien made this translation of the most famous extant Anglo Saxon poem early in his career. It's prose which disappointed me when I found out - after purchase! - it is very rhythmical, but I don't suppose it approximates the experience of reading the original very well. Still, I've always liked the story. Flagon thinks the Dragon is hard done by and that everybody (including the Dragon) should have calmed down and discussed the situation properly - that's what he'd have done! Then Beowulf could have had a nice retirement and the Dragon could have had another long nap.

There is a lengthy commentary attached to the translation, taken from Tolkien's notes for lectures and so forth. I'm in no position to weigh in on any of the scholarly arguments raised or how much modern opinion has moved on from where Tolkien stood. Apart from clarifying some obscure points, the main thing I got from reading the commentary was a sense of what issues are faced by editors trying to produce a modern edition or translation of Beowulf and by extension Anglo-Saxon and other Mediaeval literatures and a strong impression of the breadth as well as depth of Tolkien's scholarship and expertise. He demonstrates knowledge not just of Anglo-Saxon literature in toto but of all Mediaeval literature and the history of northern Europe, stretching back into the Dark Ages, including archaeological inferences. Further, he understood all the relevant philology, too. Of course this means I was left way out of my depth at times.

Perhaps (for me) the best part of this book came next - Sellic Spell. This is Tolkien's attempt to write a folk-tale based on the "fairy-story" elements of Beowulf before the historical/legendary elements were merged to produce the story we know. This is delightful. Tolkien's other published fairy stories are very good and this is no exception. His best prose occurs when he is aiming at the folk-tale style and this is no exception.

Finally there are two versions of a verse re-telling of the first part of Beowulf (in a Tolkien-contemporary idiom), which are short but fun.

If you want an accessible translation of Beowulf and a sense of what the associated academic problems are, this is a worthwhile book. If you are an expert in Anglo-Saxon literature this might prove interesting in terms of showing what Tolkien thought in detail about the greatest Anglo-Saxon poem that remains to us. If you want to study the poem seriously this is decidedly not the place to start, though. ( )

Tolkien's retelling of this classic story is stunning! I'm impressed with both the translation as well as the commentary. This book reveals Tolkien's "day job" and how amazing scholar he was.

He has a lot of respect for the original but takes creative freedom to present it in prose. Comments reveal how much deliberation has been put into the choice of words, rhythms, and structures. Tolkien's impressive knowledge is visible in ease he has to write different versions of the story - folk tale and song. Each of them is interesting in a different way, yet still true to the original.

It is not the easiest read. This is still an old saga, with the style and language that is much different from the one that a modern reader might be familiar with. Unless you are a linguist, you will need a lot of focus and motivation to spend more time with this book. Unfortunately, Christopher Tolkien doesn't make it easier for a reader complicating things much more than it is necessary. ( )

In this volume, Christopher Tolkien edits his father’s translation of Beowulf together with a commentary composed of J.R.R. Tolkien’s lectures on the text along with Sellic Spell, “an imagined story of Beowulf in an early form” and Tolkien’s Lay of Beowulf, “a rendering of the story in the form of a ballad to be sung” (pg. xiii). Tolkien’s translation of Beowulf retells the familiar story of the hero of the Geats, who aids Hrothgar in defeating the monster Grendel, later becoming king of the Geats. Fifty years later, King Beowulf must fight a dragon, but dies of wounds even as his defeats the beast. If the story has a moral, Tolkien sums it up in lines 1283-1284: “Such shall a man’s faith be, when he thinks to win enduring fame in war: no care for his life will trouble him” (pg. 57). Though Tolkien claimed not to use allegory in his Legendarium, fans may notice similarities between the language of Beowulf and name forms Tolkien used for Rohan in The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien’s Sellic Spell closely resembles many of his other fairy-stories, both in tone and form, and will entertain fans of these stories. Christopher Tolkien includes earlier drafts of the tale along with commentary discussing the changing language. Finally, the The Lay of Beowulf will particularly delight those who enjoy Tolkien’s songs. Overall, the work will primarily appeal to Tolkien scholars or those interested in Old English. The commentary in particular will be useful for those either teaching or learning Old English. ( )