Recommendations from our site
“Grendel is a retelling of the story from the monster’s point of view, and the monster is basically Jean-Paul Sartre. What makes this slim novel so brilliant is that Grendel is a philosopher, but he is also absolutely a monster. He lives in a cave with his blob of a mother and has all the instincts to kill, eat and survive. At the same time, he has a mind that ponders meaning — relentlessly searching for answers, he wants to know what it is all for.” Read more...
Five Timeless Books Rooted in Oral Storytelling
Tuva Kahrs, Five Books Editor
“Grendel, the monster, is a remarkable creation. He’s lonely, and his bloodthirsty nature causes him so much misery and sadness. But he’s also quite casual about eating people. He’s tormented by the mead hall and the light, and he’s always skulking around, peering in through cracks in the wood. As a portrait of loneliness and sadness, it’s just an astonishing creation. He’s still as monstrous as you might expect, but it was just focusing on what it would be like to be that monster whose raison d’etre is going into mead halls and eating people. He likes to talk about philosophy, and he’s moved – terribly moved – by song and music. Like I said, it doesn’t stop him! But the monster as a lonely creature just stuck with his horrible mother is quite a portrait.” Read more...
Novels Based on Mythological Retellings
Francesca Simon, Children's Author
