Beowulf Heaney, Seamus (Translator) Irish Literature,Poetry,Signed Books

Translated by Seamus Heaney. Illustrated with a facsimile of the first page of the only surviving Beowulf manuscript. One of 300 numbered copies signed by Heaney (total limitation of 325), this being number 263. Publisher's red cloth-backed, cream paper-covered boards, black label to spine lettered in gilt, and green endpapers; publisher's red cloth and green paper slipcase, with ISBN sticker to one side. Fine book; fine slipcase. Overall, a practically pristine copy. Beowulf is one of the oldest surviving long poems written in the English language and widely regarded as the most important Old English poem. Composed sometime between the seventh and tenth centuries, the poem survived in just a single manuscript from the eleventh century, which is now held at the British Library as part of the Nowell Codex. Set in Scandinavia in the 6th century, Beowulf follows the exploits of the titular hero as he fights the monster Grendel, is made King, and is eventually slain by a dragon. First published in 1815, Beowulf received new levels of appreciation and understanding after J.R.R. Tolkien's lecture, "Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics" was published in 1936 as a paper in Proceedings of the British Academy. The great Irish poet Seamus Heaney's translation of Beowulf is considered among the very best and earned him the Whitbread Book of the Year Award.