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Summary
Composed towards the end of the first millennium, the Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf is one of the great Northern epics and a classic of European literature. In his new translation, Seamus Heaney has produced a work which is both true, line by line, to the original poem, and an expression, in its language and music, of something fundamental to his own creative gift.
The poem is about encountering the monstrous, defeating it, and then having to live on, physically and psychically exposed, in that exhausted aftermath. It is not hard to draw parallels between this story and the history of the twentieth century, nor can Heaney’s Beowulf fail to be read partly in the light of his Northern Irish upbringing. But it also transcends such considerations, telling us psychological and spiritual truths that are permanent and liberating.
SeamusHeaney
Seamus Heaney was born in County Derry in Northern Ireland. Death of a Naturalist, his first collection of poems, appeared in 1966, and was followed by poetry, criticism and translations which established him as the leading poet of his generation. In 1995 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, and twice won the Whitbread Book of the Year, for The Spirit…
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More books by Seamus Heaney
Our Poem of the Week is ‘The Underground’ by Seamus Heaney, from his sixth poetry collection Station Island.
Our Poem of the Week is ‘The Peninsula’ by Seamus Heaney, from Door into the Dark.
This week Faber launched our Poetry Underlined project: lines of poetry from Faber poets past and present paired together and …
‘The Ministry of Fear’ refracts the troubled history of Ireland through a broader account of the histories, myths and peoples …
Our Poem of the Week is ‘Digging’ by Seamus Heaney, from the iconic Irish poet’s classic first collection, Death of …
Faber is delighted to announce the publication of The Poems of Seamus Heaney, edited by Rosie Lavan and Bernard O'Donoghue …
Our Poem of the Week is ‘Punishment’ from North, Seamus Heaney’s account of the people, history and landscape of Ireland.
Our Poem of the Week is ‘Digging’ by Seamus Heaney, from the iconic Irish poet’s classic first collection, Death of …
Our Poem of the Week is ‘Anahorish’ from Wintering Out, Seamus Heaney’s third collection of poetry.
This week, our Poem of the Week is Seamus Heaney's 'Song', from his 1979 collection, Field Work.
Looking for a book to curl up with by the fire? We asked Faber staff to tell us which books …
How do you write a city that hasn’t decided what it’s going to be next? In the latest of our …
Authors’ letters provide fascinating insights into the personalities and social context behind some of the greatest works of our time.
We asked Faber Members to send in their first encounters with the writing of Seamus Heaney and were thrilled with …
To mark the tenth anniversary of Seamus Heaney’s death and to celebrate his extraordinary legacy, we share a poem from …
As the summer holidays approach, we’re beginning to think about which books to pack for our holiday reading. The Faber …
Are you planning a summer getaway? Or not going away and looking for a bit of escapism? Browse our list …
For what would have been Seamus Heaney’s 83rd birthday, we asked our Faber colleagues to share their first or favourite …
Director Adam Low shares his diary for his BBC documentary 'Seamus Heaney and the Music of What Happens'