10 Jul 2006

The Beast Who Became an Opera — Lincoln Center Festival 2006

http://www.nysun.com/article/35665

Grendel.gif(Photo: Constance Hoffman)
BY STUART ISACOFF [NY Sun, 10 July 2006]

Even monsters have mothers. That message is at the heart of John Gardner's 1971 novel "Grendel," a reshaping of the 10th-century Danish tale, "Beowulf." While that epic is named for the warrior-hero who slays a murderous beast, Mr. Gardner's story is told from the point of view of the beast, Grendel. And in his novel, the repulsive, Dane-eating monster appears more recognizably human than any of the stiff-necked, blinkered men who seek his demise.