Julian Glover reads his dynamic interpretation of Beowulf, the epic heroic poem of anonymous authorship which dates somewhere between the 8th and 11th centuries. Glover cleverly inserts stanzas in the original Old English. Introduced by Sir John Giulgud.
Julian Glover's version takes the poem back to its origins as a spoken tale. He has taken the essence of the poem and, with a scholarly eye to the British Museum's manuscript, created a truly bardic performance. Beowulf's battles against Grendel (the monster who takes you in your sleep) and the original lethal female, his mother, who comes to avenge her son's killing, are faithfully transformed from their singed original to a roaring reality.
Until now this was my favourite translation of Beowulf, however I think Julian has pipped it to the post. This truly epic tale deserves to be told by a master, and that's what we have here: it's all drama! Enjoy!
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