The Tain
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"Carson's landmark translation, the first in forty years, brings this literary gem to life in a fresh, modern retelling that rivals Thomas Kinsella's classic translation of 1969."
- "Booklist "In vivid prose Carson has harnessed . . . the tale's tremendous artistic power."-Irish Voice
- "Booklist "In vivid prose Carson has harnessed . . . the tale's tremendous artistic power."-Irish Voice
Dermot Healy
"Ciaran Carson has kept a diary that goes way back, even before writing was invented. His Tain is a true oral rendering, with the Northern blas adding an extra irreverent punch to the story, and old air of the bull. As poet and prose writer, he echoes all your imagination strains to hear, and somehow lets the epic pass before your eyes, and ears, as if for the first time, again."
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Celtic folk lore has become popular in recent years, with many fantasy writers borrowing elements with varying degrees of success. Well, this is the real thing, and it is great! Carson's translation opens up a new world to us, a world of heroic acts, magic and riddles, and - above all - a world that feels very different from our own. This is a book to immerse yourself in, so that you begin to feel some of the values that our ancestors had.
In passing, I was fascinated to see what a prominent role some women played in these physical times. That is an area I now want to discover more about, as it challenges some of my assumptions about the past.
In passing, I was fascinated to see what a prominent role some women played in these physical times. That is an area I now want to discover more about, as it challenges some of my assumptions about the past.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Great stuff. Just goes to show what kind of trouble can start from arguments in the bedroom.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
As this is the only translation I've read of this tale, I may not be best placed to write a review.
I found this book fairly easy to read, especially in comparison to the texts that are available online. The endnotes were especially helpful, though I am not sure if some matters were left out as there were references to, say, the history of the bulls themselves, but nowhere in the book was this history related. Perhaps I missed it? I would also have appreciated a pronuncation guide to the names when listed in the endnotes. As I am not an Irish speaker, this would have been invaluable.
I did have some difficulty with the poetry[?] sections, as I could not make sense of them, but I imagine this is because of the difficulty in translating from Irish, with its propensity for double meanings.
Overall, a good introduction to the Táin Bó Cúailnge.
I found this book fairly easy to read, especially in comparison to the texts that are available online. The endnotes were especially helpful, though I am not sure if some matters were left out as there were references to, say, the history of the bulls themselves, but nowhere in the book was this history related. Perhaps I missed it? I would also have appreciated a pronuncation guide to the names when listed in the endnotes. As I am not an Irish speaker, this would have been invaluable.
I did have some difficulty with the poetry[?] sections, as I could not make sense of them, but I imagine this is because of the difficulty in translating from Irish, with its propensity for double meanings.
Overall, a good introduction to the Táin Bó Cúailnge.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Heroic fantasy at its best
The Táin is Ireland's heroic fantasy of political intrigue, trickery, deceit, and feats of individual daring on a par with the Iliad. Read more
Published 21 months ago by R. E. Conary
An elemental, highly eloquent translation which roars with the raw...
An elemental, highly eloquent translation which clearly roars with the raw power, druidic magic and bardic ingenuity of the original. Read more
Published on 19 Nov 2007 by S. Crawford
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