Which Tolkien work was published posthumously in 2014 as a translation and commentary on Beowulf?

Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary was published posthumously in 2014.

The volume presents Tolkien’s prose translation of the Old English epic Beowulf together with notes and a commentary. Christopher Tolkien edited the material for publication, drawing on his father’s lectures and writings about the poem. The book also includes “Sellic Spell,” Tolkien’s imaginative retelling of the Beowulf story.

Tolkien was one of the twentieth century’s most influential Beowulf scholars. His 1936 lecture “Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics” helped redirect attention toward the poem’s artistic structure and its monsters, rather than treating it mainly as a historical source.

The 2014 book is distinct from Tolkien’s earlier essay and from his translations of other medieval works. It reflects decades of teaching and study, while also showing how Beowulf’s dragon, heroic culture, and elegiac mood connected with Tolkien’s creative imagination.