Review by Choice Review
Almost four decades ago, Oxford University Press published Thomas Kinsella's splendid, translation of The Tain (CH, Dec'70). With a translation that excellent, there would seem to be little reason for another. However, translations, even good ones, become dated. In this new translation of the ancient Irish epic, Carson (Queen's Univ., Belfast) takes a more direct approach to the poem while still maintaining the poetic style of the original. Carson's translation will appeal to contemporary readers, including those who have little scholarly background in medieval literature. The Tain is an exciting story, full of larger-than-life heroes, and Carson's translation mirrors this excitement. Although the translation is not unnecessarily vulgar, Carson is not afraid to use coarse language when it fits the original meaning. His excellent introductory material includes historical and literary context and a discussion of the translation history of the epic and his own approach to translation. The endnotes are detailed but not intrusive, offering background stories, discussion of place-names, and the literal translations of unusual words. Carson includes a glossary and pronunciation guide. Although this new translation does not supplant Kinsella's, it definitely deserves a place beside it on the shelf. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates; general readers. L. J. Larson Our Lady of the Lake University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
The Tain is a new translation of the eighth-century epic Irish poem, Tain Bo Cuailnge (The Cattle Raid of Cooley). Carson's landmark translation, the first in 40 years, brings this literary gem to life in a fresh, modern retelling that rivals Thomas Kinsella's classic translation of 1969. The story centers on a marital argument of one-upmanship between the powerful queen of Connaught, Medb, and her husband, Ailill. Their fortunes are equally matched in all areas but one: Ailill's prized bull, Finnbennach, for which Medb has no counterpart. The impetuous queen sets out to procure a famed stud bull in Ulster, a rival province to Connaught, which provokes a violent clash between their armies. Famed Irish folk hero Cu Chulainn, whose dramatic battles with the Connaught army are detailed often in humorously graphic detail, leads the Ulster effort in classic warrior fashion. Carson captures the lyrical cadence of the famed Irish poem with a contemporary twist; current renewed interest in classic tales like Beowulf should ensure an important place for The Tain within this engaging genre.--English, Catherine Copyright 2007 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Loosely translated as "The Cattle Raid of Cooley," the T in B? C#ailnge is part of the 80-story, multiauthor Ulster Cycle, an Irish epic that dates to the eighth century. Rendered in laconic vernacular prose by veteran poet and translator Carson, The T in (pronounced "toyne") opens on the "pillow talk" of King Ailill of Connacht and his boastful wife, Queen Mebd. Reckoning that her husband has one greater asset than she, namely, the prize white-horned bull, Finnbennach, the queen enlists the entire army of Connacht to wage war against C#ailnge, a province of Ulster, in order to secure its fine brown bull. As the army moves into Ulster, it is led by Fergus, a former king of Ulster now in exile who remains sympathetic to the Ulster side and to his 17-year-old foster son, C# Chulainn, whose youthful exploits Fergus recounts. Three-day hand-to-hand combat pits C# Chulainn against his beloved foster-brother, Fer Diad Mac Dam in; at the climax, the white and brown bulls come face to face. The narrative revels in place names and their etymologies, telling story upon story. Carson's version is a lively and vivid journey through a mythic landscape. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The Irish poet and author best known in the United States for his wonderful autobiography The Star Factory (1998) offers a new translation of his country's ebullient epic tale, also known as "The Cattle Raid of Cooley." It's actually one segment of the larger Táin B¿ Cúailnge, itself part of the 8th-century Ulster Cycle, which celebrates the deeds of the prehistoric inhabitants of Northern Ireland. In an introductory section, Carson mostly suggests that his Táin be viewed as "commentary" on and "tribute" to Thomas Kinsella's near-legendary 1969 translation. Yet the elegant introductory section bespeaks his authority as much as do the vigorous rhythms of the agreeably blood-drenched narrative he translates: a combination of prose and verse, as it happens, with roots in and debts to the epics of Homer and Virgil and the stories of the Christian Bible. The story begins when Queen Medb of Connacht, jealous of her husband King Ailill's possession of a fertile white bull, negotiates the loan of a great brown bull owned by the king of Ulster. When it is learned the men of Connacht were prepared to use force, agreements are voided and a catastrophic "raid" ensues--in which Ulster's stalwart teenaged hero Cú Chulainn prevails in single combat against successive Connacht challengers (including those who shape-shift into fearsome nonhuman creatures). Hyperbole attends both the combatants' frequently exchanged boasts and the core narrative (e.g., "In that great massacre...Cú Chullain slew seven score and ten kings as well as innumerable dogs and horses, women and children, not to mention underlings and rabble"). Ominous visions attend the climactic three-day battle between Cú Chullain and Connacht's champion Fer Diad (the former's foster brother and friend)--which is succeeded by the clashing of the great bulls themselves, then the arrangement of a peace between Ulster and Connacht. A great story, too little known in this country, and an invaluable treasure for both its suggestive contemporary relevance and its elemental beauty and power. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
