1000 Years of Beowulf

On Sunday October 25, 2009 in celebration of 1000 years of Beowulf's history, the original manuscript will be on display at the British Library in London, England. The manuscript itself will be accompanied by other items relating to the poem, including Seamus Heaney’s typewritten drafts of his translation of Beowulf and Michael Foreman’s original illustrations of Michael Morpurgo’s children’s version of the poem.

There will also be a four-day celebration that brings Beowulf to life with celebrity appearances by Benjamin Bagby, well known for his performances of the epic work accompanied by Anglo-Saxon harp, Seamus Heaney, celebrated translator, children's author Michael Morpurgo, and historian and television presenter Michael Wood, who recently devoted a BBC2 special to the poem.



















To celebrate Beowulf in your own classroom, check out the extensive line of teaching resources that Prestwick House has to offer, including several different versions of the text, posters, a teaching units, an activity pack, a response journal, and LitPlan Teacher Packs and Puzzle Packs from our friends at Teacher's Pet. Click on any of the products below to browse our site.

Versions of the Text
Literary Touchstone Edition
Seamus Heaney Translation
Burton Raffel Translation
Robert Nye Translation
Robert Gordon Translation
Frederick Rebsamen Translation














Resources for Teaching Beowulf
Teaching Unit | PDF
AP Teaching Unit | PDF
Activity Pack | PDF
Response Journal | PDF
Multiple Perspectives | PDF
Complete Teacher's Kit
Downloadable Novel Test
Puzzle Pack | PDF
LitPlan Teacher Pack | PDF