‘Grendel’ by John Gardner, 1971

John Gardner’s ‘Grendel’ is a fascinating recounting of our language’s oldest legend, that of Beowulf. This story is told from the point of view of Grendel, whose personality unfolds into something uniquely compelling. Even though he is a savage beast and somehow takes a wild pleasure in ripping and tearing apart humans for sport, we see that Grendel suffers a great deal, both physical and emotional. From this perspective, Grendel becomes more human. His vast intellect sends him on many metaphysical musings, which is a constant source of entertainment. Each chapter of the novel alludes to one of the twelve Zodiac signs, which I didn’t notice until later, after reading other articles about the book. I enjoyed going back and looking for each allusion. I thought it was interesting that Gardner never mentioned the name Beowulf, and the story ends before the confrontation between Beowulf and Grendel’s mother, and later between Beowulf and the other unspecified dragon. Overall, a highly recommended book.