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Indlæser... King Harald's Saga: Harald Hardradi of Norwayaf Snorri Sturluson
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Bliv medlem af LibraryThing for at finde ud af, om du vil kunne lide denne bog. Der er ingen diskussionstråde på Snak om denne bog. This is a portion of Sturluson's much longer work, the Heimskringla, dealing with one monarch of Norway . Harald was the king of Norway who died at Stamford Bridge in battle with Harold Godwinsson in 1066. Harald's earlier life had already included an attempt to seize the throne of Norway, and a stint as a mercenary commander in the Byzantine Empire.This saga is a discrete biography as ably translated by Magnus Magnusson and Herman Palsson, a justly celebrated team. Harald's life is very interesting, and a good entry point for more specialised study of this great body of literature. Magnus Magnusson and Hermann Pálsson structure their prose translation of Snorri Sturluson's King Harald's Saga into three parts: an introduction with historic background on Harald and the larger Heimskringla, the saga itself, and additional materials such as genealogical tables, a glossary of names, and maps. The story focuses on the life of Harald, most well-known as one of the kings who tried to conquer England in 1066 and who likely weakened Harold's forces enough that William the Conqueror was able to achieve his victory nineteen days later. Modern translators would try to retain Sturluson's original verse structure, but this is a serviceable translation with excellent footnotes to clear up historic inaccuracies or explain the relationships between the people Sturluson discusses. The story will appeal to those who have read other Scandinavian sagas like Egil's Saga (based on Egill Skallagrímsson and possibly written by Sturluson as well) or English histories like Robert Glover's Kings of England Ever Since it was So Called. This is a solid, serviceable translation of part of the Heimskringla. I'll admit that medieval Scandinavian history is not my strong point, so I can't speak to how accurately it captures the sense of the original, but it read clearly and easily (even though I didn't like how the footnotes were arranged). I would have appreciated more and better integrated/connected genealogical tables, though; the kinship relationships were clearly extremely important to medieval Icelandic/Norse society, but it was hard to keep track of all the various interrelationships. This is the saga of Harald Hardradi (the ruthless), the last viking king of Norway. He led a fascinating life, including a stint as the chief of the Varangian guards in Constantinople where he became a lover of the empress Zoe. He died in the battle of Stamford Bridge (9/25/1066), when he invaded England as an ally of Harold Godwinsson's ill-fated brother Tostig. This battle so depleted Harold Godwinsson's forces that he was defeated and killed by William of Normandy at Hastings 19 days later. ingen anmeldelser | tilføj en anmeldelse
This compelling Icelandic history describes the life of King Harald Hardradi, from his battles across Europe and Russia to his final assault on England in 1066, less than three weeks before the invasion of William the Conqueror. It was a battle that led to his death and marked the end of an era in which Europe had been dominated by the threat of Scandinavian forces. Despite England's triumph, it also played a crucial part in fatally weakening the English army immediately prior to the Norman Conquest, changing the course of history. Taken from the Heimskringla--Snorri Sturluson's complete account of Norway from prehistoric times to 1177--this is a brilliantly human depiction of the turbulent life and savage death of the last great Norse warrior-king. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators. No library descriptions found. |
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I haven't read any other translations of the work, so I have nothing to compare it to, but it read well to my ears, including the prose translations of various bits of poetry that the author quotes throughout. My only complaint about this edition might be that it is just full of footnotes, and I found them difficult to ignore, which detracted a bit from the flow of the tale itself. Few, if any, of them seemed necessary to understanding the text, so pushing them into end notes would have been less distracting. Readers who have the discipline to avoid them should be fine. ( )