The Tolkien Estate has just signed with HarperCollins to publish for the first time Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary by J.R.R. Tolkien.
This book has been edited by Christopher Tolkien and will be published by HarperCollins on 22nd May 2014 and by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in the US.
"The translation of Beowulf by J.R.R. Tolkien was an early work, very distinctive in its mode, completed in 1926: he returned to it later to make hasty corrections, but seems never to have considered its publication. This edition is twofold, for there exists an illuminating commentary on the text of the poem by the translator himself, in the written form of a series of lectures given at Oxford in the 1930s; and from these lectures a substantial selection has been made, to form also a commentary on the translation in this book."
Last edited by Smaug's voice on Wed Mar 19, 2014 2:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I was just coming here to post this. I'm glad, although I wish that Christopher had let Mike Drout complete it.
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
Ax, it was originally supposed to be published more than a decade ago, edited by Michael Drout. For those who may be interested in what happened, go to this link, and read both of the two stories:
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
He really captures why this is important, and why people should care.
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
On a related note, and perhaps I'm not looking in the right places, I haven't seen any serious criticism on The Fall of Arthur and it's been almost a year since its release. I assume the same channels would generate some reflections on Tolkien's Beowulf if such channels exist. Any recommendations?
