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About Ciaran Carson

The Tain

Ciaran Carson - Translator
$24.95
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Book: Hardcover | 5.51 x 8.26in | 256 pages | ISBN 9780670018680 | 21 Feb 2008 | Viking Adult | 18 - AND UP
Additional Formats:
Paperback: $16.00
The Tain
A stunning new translation brings Ireland’s greatest epic tale alive for a new generation

Dating from the eighth century, Táin Bó Cúailnge is the oldest Irish epic, a heroic mythic tale on par with Beowulf and The Aeneid. The sprawling, dramatic tale of the legendary warrior Cú Chulainn and his battle against the invading army of Connacht over the fabled Brown Bull of Cooley, The Táin is an enthralling epic of heroism, magic, bloodshed, and betrayal. The wellspring of Irish literature from Yeats to Joyce, The Táin is the story of the emergence of a hero with superhuman strength and supernatural powers. It is a paean to the Irish landscape and a bawdy and contentious marital farce. Filled with phenomenal battle scenes of hand-to-hand combat and clashes between massive armies, Cú Chulainn’s heroic exploits contain the historical seeds of the struggle for Irish nationalism as well as the mythic roots of the traditional Irish love of nature. Carson’s lively, conversational rendition of The Táin will bring the adventures of the legendary Irish hero to a new generation of readers interested in epic poetry and Irish history. In the first translation in forty years, Carson brings this seminal work of literature fully to life, capturing all the visceral power of the ancient epic. It is truly a classic for our time.

“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


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