The first and most terrifying monster in English literature, from the great early epic Beowulf, tells his own side of the story in this frequently banned book. This classic and much lauded retelling of Beowulf follows the monster Grendel as he learns about humans and fights the war at the center of the Anglo Saxon classic epic. This is the book William Gass called “one of the finest of our … finest of our contemporary fictions.”
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***Best Book from Villain’s Perspective***
I first read Grendel in high school as a companion to Beowulf and have come back to it a couple times since to get reacquainted with the conflicted, philosophical beast.
“Thus I fled, ridiculous hairy creature torn apart by poetry—crawling, whimpering, streaming tears, across the world like a two-headed …
The short 1971 novel Grendel by John Gardner, that legendary writing teacher, is a really perfect example of the post-modern wave that swept through American letters in the 1970s. It completely transfigured modernist writing craft to the point that young writers learning their trade in that decade were really left with no idea of what …
There has never been such a misunderstood monster as Grendel. At least, that’s the way John Gardner tells it. And trust me, you want to hear John Gardner tell things—LOTS of things—because when he does, they flow like fine wine.
The story is told from Grendel’s perspective, and you empathize, if not exactly sympathize with the snot-nosed …
Read and enjoyed this book many years ago. Anyone who enjoys SF or fantasy will find it a delightful novel. I strongly recommend it!!
Great retelling of Beowulf.
In 2015, I re-read this for the first time in at least 13 or 14 years. My favorite book in high school and college didn’t quite hold up years later, but I still enjoyed reading this story from the monster’s point of view.