Chris McCully brings Old English poetry to life with exhilarating immediacy. Here is the earliest surviving English poem, "Caedmon's Hymn", as well as one of the last poems to be written in the classical Old English alliterative style; some of the great elegies and epics, and a generous selection from "Beowulf". Other dimensions of Anglo-Saxon culture are represented in religious meditations, riddles, charms and rhythmical prose, all translated into metrical half-lines that capture the subtlety and pace of the originals. The introduction explores the fascination this poetry has held for Chris McCully over many years, as a poet and a scholar. The translations are referenced to manuscripts and critical editions, making them a valuable resource for students and for all those keen to read more of the earliest English poetry. A bibliography and reading list, with a note on Anglo-Saxon manuscripts and material in libraries and on the Internet, complete the book.

About the Author
Chris McCully has published three collections of poetry with Carcanet (Time Signatures 1993; Not Only I 1996; The Country of Perhaps 2003) as well as the best-selling Fly-fishing: A Book of Words (1992) and the edited collection of essays The Poet's Voice and Craft (1994).Chris is one of the directors of the Modern Literary Archives programme in the John Rylands University Library of Manchester, and is also Honorary Senior Research Fellow in the Faculty of Arts, University of Manchester. He is married, and lives in Amstelveen with a garden and a black labrador, Tess.


Book Information
ISBN 9781857549256
Author Chris McCully
Format Paperback
Page Count 100
Imprint Fyfield Books
Publisher Carcanet Press Ltd