B2MeM Day 24: The Elusive Tolkien "Beowulf"

[lady_branwyn]

Back in the early 2000s, it was announced that Tolkien's own translation of Beowulf had been discovered (though, apparently, it was never lost, just sitting in a box of papers), and scholar Michael Drout had been chosen to edit it for publication. Years passed, and there was no further news. Drout deleted the content on his own webpage that referred to the Tolkien Beowulf because other parties were quoting him out of context. Then, in the mid-2000s, rumor was that the manuscript would not be published. In an interview, Drout confirmed that the Tolkien estate had decided that the project "should go on hold" (his words).
I admit to being puzzled and saddened by the delay. Perhaps the Tolkien Estate was concerned about the literary merit (and salability) of the translation?