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Grendel

by John Gardner

Grendel Cover

ISBN13: 9780679723110
ISBN10: 0679723110
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Powells.com Staff Pick

It's easy to find oneself in the thrall of hanks of blond hair and mead-fueled heroism, but it is a more difficult task to regard, with care, the heart of a monster. The monster (but is he?) in question is Grendel, an introspective animal who loves his mother and also has a taste for Danes. Gardner's novel is an accounting of the tale of Beowulf from Grendel's perspective; it's a story of a monster's hunger, love, and grief, and also those of men. Consider the original poem Beowulf: How is it that the happy endings of men and their stories are those that are soaked in blood?
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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

The first and most terrifying monster in English literature, from the great early epic Beowulf, tells his side of the story.

Review:

"This is storytelling at its best." Library Journal
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About the Author

John Gardner taught creative writing at many universities. He was killed in a motorcycle accident in 1982 at age 49.
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 2 comments:
m0martin, March 2, 2007 (view all comments by m0martin)
Simply breathtaking. Grendel's forlorn and foreign longing to share in the harp-player's tales of misty legend reveal the tenderest of hearts in solitude. As Grendel muses, he's never seen a wolf treat another wolf the way these humans treat each other, in war, in plunder, in idiotic slaughter. The book is also very, very funny. My highest recommendation!
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Simone, November 8, 2006 (view all comments by Simone)
John Gardner's poetic language and monstrous, fantastical descriptions in this novel of the old Grendel and Beowulf tale make for a constantly fascinating read. Grendel is pitiable as the outsider, looking into a firelit human world he cannot comprehend, and he is more human than his victims when he finds an enemy more vicious than he imagined in the fabled warrior, Beowulf. There is so much in this book that is worth returning to, I recommend it very highly to any reader of myth or dark fantasy.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780679723110
Author:
Gardner, John
Publisher:
Vintage Books USA
Illustrator:
Antonucci, Emil
Author:
Antonucci, Emil
Location:
New York :
Subject:
Literary
Subject:
Fiction
Subject:
American
Subject:
Literature
Subject:
Fantastic fiction
Subject:
Fantasy
Subject:
Historical fiction
Subject:
Monsters
Subject:
Epic
Subject:
Beowulf
Subject:
Epic poetry, English (Old)
Copyright:
c197
Edition Number:
Vintage Books ed.
Edition Description:
Vintage Books
Series Volume:
No. 5
Publication Date:
May 1989
Binding:
Paperback
Language:
English
Illustrations:
YES
Pages:
192
Dimensions:
8.08x5.28x.51 in. .45 lbs.
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