Beowulf and the Fight at Finnsburgh

by Unknown, Friedrich Klaeber

Book by Klaeber, Fr.

Genres: Classics, Poetry, Fiction, Medieval, Fantasy, Literature, Anglo Saxon

471 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1000

About the author

Books can be attributed to "Unknown" when the author or editor (as applicable) is not known and cannot be discovered. If at all possible, list at least one actual author or editor for a book instead of using "Unknown".

Books whose authorship is purposefully withheld should be attributed instead to Anonymous.

Reviews

[Neil]

Although Tolkien fans will no doubt disagree, Klaeber's Beowulf is undoubtably the most important work on the poem ever produced and after ninety years is still the most authoritative edition of the text.

First published in 1922, one of the most exciting periods in Beowulfian studies and dominated by scholars such as Chambers and Lawrence. Chambers, who had by chance published his own Beowulf text and now legendary study of the poem, heaped instant praise on klaeber for his revolutionary new edition. Klaeber went on to update the book at regular periods, resulting in the third edition of 1950, during a difficult period in Eastern Germany under Russian occupation.

Any student approaching Beowulf at an academic level can look forward to many happy or unhappy hours studying the intricacies of this text and browsing the huge introduction, commentaries, glossary and extra material.

This third edition is now superseded by the new fourth edition that was edited and updated by John Niles and company a few years ago, but anyone with any knowledge of Old English studies will know the value of the third edition and will probably own both.

[MK]

not read yet, just picked up from the library ...

---------------------------------

This edition, and credits, here on Goodreads are as follows:

Beowulf, and The Fight at Finnsburg
by Unknown

Basically, no info at all. This is the 1950 3rd edition of the Klaeber translation. It is very dense with lots of information, on some pages the typeset is quite small. I'll fill in what all the extras and appendices are, as I read it.

For now, this is how the edition is detailed in my library's catalog (it also has no description filled in):

Full Record

Uniform Title: Beowulf
Title: Beowulf, and The fight at Finnsburg
Publisher: Lexington,Mass., D. C. Heath and company [c1950]
Edition: 3d ed.,
Characteristics: clxxxvii, [2], 471, [1] p. front. (facsims.) illus. 20 1/2 cm
Additional Contributors: Klaeber, Fr (Friedrich), 1863-1954
Alternative Title: Finnesburh
Bibliography: Includes bibliographies
LCCN: 42008932

[Rebecca]

So I'll preface this by saying, "Yes, I'm a dork," but this book was fantastic. I loved the Beowulf story in high school, and took Old English during college, so was able to read and translate the poem from its original version. Amazing.

[Gary]

Woody Allen said that you should never take a class that requires you to read Beowulf. But I spent an entire semester in graduate school learning Old English, so it made sense to spend another semester translating Beowulf.

[mark]

didnt like the translation i got from the library very much. somehow felt like it was trying to make it contemporary and close to the original text at the same time?? idk its from 1999 too. like why would u say the “water boiled with blood and hot gore” or “the monsters molested him” ??? anyways its fun to read stuff and remember we’ve always wanted to tell stories. fun to think of it being told orally too

[Keegan Cater]

It was a long, but interesting book.

[Dinah]

The best book.

[Carlos Simos]

``A todos nos llegará el momento de acabar la vida en este mundo. Quien pueda, que gane gloria antes de su muerte´´.
🍻🗡
¿Cómo empezar a hablar de una de una obra tan legendaria y estudiada como Beowulf? Robert Chambers, H.P. Lovecraft, Tolkien, Borges y un largo etcetera le dedicaron sus estudios a esta gesta tan heroica como pocas que se hayan relatado. No he leído demasiadas, pero he admirado las hazañas de Ulises, Aquiles, Eneas, el Cid Campeador, Sigfrido, Cú Chulainn y quizá alguno que no recuerde en este momento. Entonces tenía que leer Beowulf.
🍻🗡
Lamentablemente por esperar demasiado me perdí de la edición traducida por Tolkien, pero esta, está muy buena igual ofreciéndonos las versiones moderna y antigua del relato del héroe gauta.
El relato en sí mismo es simple: el héroe batallando contra un monstruo que amenaza la tranquilidad de un pueblo, luego la batalla contra otro de su misma estirpe. Tranquilidad durante muchos años de reinado y una batalla final para terminar de convertir en leyenda a alguien que claramente estaba destinado a serlo.
🍻🗡
``Por esto, frías se han de sentir muchas lanzas cuando se cojan en la mañana y se levanten en mano. Tampoco ha de despertar a los guerreros la música del arpa, si bien el oscuro cuervo, alardeando entre los caídos, ha de contar muchas cosas: le dirá al águila cómo se apresuró en la fiesta de los despojos, compitiendo con el lobo por los restos de los caídos´´.
🍻🗡
Beowulf es el prototipo de héroe que hoy conocemos quizá mas antiguo que muchos otros que hemos leído y si tenemos en cuenta que, como se dice, pudo haber sido copiado por un copista cristiano dándole esos toques de carácter bíblico, entonces lo puede ser aún mas.
No tengo mucho mas para decir sobre esta gran obra por temor a equivocarme en algún dato realmente importante sobre la misma. Tiene tanto para analizar que es mejor que cada uno que pueda leerlo se pueda informar al respecto y mejor si es por alguien que de verdad sabe sobre el tema 😄. Solo puedo decirles que si gustan de leer sobre gestas heroicas este libro no puede faltar en su colección y sumarse así a los grandes héroes mitológicos.

[Michael]

Klaeber, the old pal of Robinson, is in the same school of traditionalist critics who use a heavy hand in glossing and commenting upon the poems. Overall, Klaeber's readings tend to be a bit more open and inviting to the outsider, making his work a tad more interactive than Robinson.

What garners this edition the five stars, though, are the other materials in this volume. This contains many other Old English fragments, including the great "Fight at Finnsburgh" (only "The Battle of Maldon" compares for a war story), and (if memory serves) some riddles and other shorter poems. Klaeber also includes some extensive discussion of the social and artistic world underlying the works, which goes a long way to grounding the reader in the social realities of early Middle Ages Anglo-Saxon life.

[Edward]

This is one of two generally accepted scholarly editions of the original Old English text of Beowulf, the other being in the Anglo-Saxon Poetic Records editions by Krapp and Dobbie. I generally used the Klaeber edition, because it was conveniently sized for me to bring to lecture.

Overall, Klaeber's work is getting a little dated, but then again it has been in use as the dominant scholarly edition since 1922. That ought to tell you something about the quality of work—for general use, most academics are still inclined to look at this edition, and go, "Ooookay. I can't do better than this. Better not even try."

[Susan]

I read the Anglo Saxon version in Freshman English, not happily.

A couple of years ago, I saw a dramatized version of 'Beowulf,' and thought afterward that if I had seen it before reading the work, the reading experience might have been more successful for me.

I decided to read it again, which I have started doing. I have chosen the illustrated edition of the Heaney translation. So far, so good.

[Stephen Hebert]

If you are looking for an original text of Beowulf (and the Fight at Finnsburgh) to translate, this is the one. Klaeber's edition is still quite useful (though showing some age). There's even an Anglo-Saxon glossary in the back, since Anglo-Saxon lexica can be such a pain.

Highly recommended to anyone interested in the foundations of English literature.

[Ceridwen]

Another rather good translation. There are many out there (Seamus Heaney's being the most prominent), and I would seriously recommend to anyone studying the subject to read several different interpretations, to get a comprehensive picture.

[Neil]

Doesn't contain all the extras that Klaeber's edition does and nowhere near as encyclopaedic as Chambers' two volume text and introduction, but there is something so nice about a compact edition of the Beowulf text.

[Sandy Lender]

Most excellent.
The Old English text is BEAUTIFUL...but maybe not for everyone.
A translated version might be better for casual reading!

[Liz]

Now I know why I didn't remember what this book was about when I read it in high school...because I didn't understand it this time through either. All those thys and thous make it a difficult read!

[Alia]

Beowulf in the original Old English. Reading/translating it is a great way to spend time at work during summer vacation!

[Winnie Thornton]

The super glossary in the back (a great help in translating Beowulf) is enough reason to buy this fantastic, near century-old book.

[Kayla]

loved it

[Laurie]

Splendid.

[Aimee Mansfield]

Just read it.

[Jonathan Farley]

The translator in this case is Louis J Rodrigues.

I am naturally biassed in favour of this book as the illustrator is my father.

[Kamal]

Despite its age, this edition of the epic poem Beowulf is the best for scholarly work. Accept no substitutes.

[Donna]

One of the few epic stories I enjoy