Dimensions
130 x 197 x 33mm
'Wulf and Eadwacer' tells the poignant tale of lovers separated by tribal rivalry, while the tragically heroic 'Battle of Maldon' laments the death of the noble, but flawed, Byrhtnoth.
Anglo-Saxon poetry was circulated orally in a preliterate society, and gathered at last into books over some six centuries before the Norman Conquest ended English independence. Against the odds, some of these books survive today. This anthology of prose translations cover most of the surviving poetry, revealing a tradition which is outstanding among early medieval literatures for its sophisticated exploration of the human condition in a mutable, finite, but wonderfully diverse and meaning-filled world.
A comprehensive edition, with introduction, bibliography, checklist of extant Anglo-Saxon poetry and index.
