Thursday, March 20, 2014

J.R.R. Tolkien's Translation of Beowulf To Be Published

I just read the news: J.R.R. Tolkien's translation of Beowulf  is set to be published on May 22 (The Guardian).

As a Beowulf and Tolkien fan, this is very exciting. How will it differ from other translations? What phrases like gold and jewels strung together will be set forth to shine in the sun like ancient treasures newly discovered from some grim coffer where they have lain hidden? What will it reveal about the influence of Beowulf on Middle-Earth?

However my anticipation was stung a little with the thought,"if it hasn't been published until now, then maybe J. R. R. Tolkien never wanted it to be published?" Similar thoughts by others are reported in The Guardian's article "J. R. R. Tolkien translation of Beowulf to be published after 90 year wait."

And now we wait.

~Update~

Read the latest on TheOneRing.Net:
The official word on the publication of Tolkien's Beowulf Translation

This article includes details about the book and includes a picture of the cover. The dragon on it looks like one that Tolkien drew.

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