John Gardner published "Grendel" in 1971, eleven years before his tragic death at age 49 in a motorcycle accident. The story is a spin-off taken from the medieval epic poem "Beowulf," giving us the viewpoint of the monster Grendel, whom the Scandinavian hero Beowulf slays. A rare acquisition of the book's ARC brought Gardner's novel to my attention again.
Tag: Seamus Heaney
The 2010 Christmas stalking book award
Every year at this time, there's one book published in the previous 12 months that won't allow me to give it a nod and pass it by. This year's stalking award goes to a family history about a netsuke collection.
The Longest Chapter 