Why people recommend it
Beowulf, translated brilliantly by Seamus Heaney, is an enduring foundational epic poem of Old English literature that chronicles the legendary hero's epic battles against monsters like Grendel and a fearsome dragon. On The Book Review podcast episode titled John Grisham on 'The Whistler', John Williams referenced the epic poem Beowulf while discussing creative literary retellings and modern adaptations of classical texts. Williams noted that author John Gardner famously took on Beowulf with a completely unique perspective, writing an entire novel from the terrifying monster's point of view. Furthermore, on the podcast Conversations with Tyler, translator and writer Lydia Davis discussed Beowulf during the episode titled Lydia Davis on Language and Literature. Davis mentioned that she and her book club read Beowulf together, explaining to Tyler Cowen that it was another classic work she had never previously read and finally decided she should tackle. Both podcast discussions underscored the timeless cultural resonance of the poem, celebrating how it continues to inspire fresh critical analysis, creative artistic responses, and dedicated reading groups centuries after its original composition in the early medieval period.
Who recommended it
- John Williams Discussed
- Lydia Davis Discussed
John Williams — 1 mention
“John Gardner uh did a take on Beowolf that was completely from the monsters perspective”
Lydia Davis — 1 mention
“we also read beowulf because that was another one i'd never read and thought that i should read”
Also mentioned in the same episodes
- A Painted House
- A Spy Among Friends Kim Philby And The Great Betrayal
- A lowcountry heart
- Alexander Hamilton
- Amsterdam
- Brief lives
Other mentions (1: passing, ad reads, own books)
“it is ridden up to 116th Street with Colum students reading ba wolf in its native Anglo-Saxon”