Beer and Beowulf Matthew Townend
Event details
Beer and poetry often went together in Anglo-Saxon England and the hall was celebrated as the place of community and creativity. Come and join us in the beorsele or beer-hall of the Duke of York pub for our annual evening of Anglo-Saxon beer and poetry.
A retinue of reciters, led by Matthew Townend of the University of York, will perform a selection of Anglo-Saxon and Norse poetry, both in translation and in the original, while refreshment will be available in the form of Eoforwic Ale, a beer brewed specially for the Festival of Ideas by the Leeds Brewery.
In keeping with the Festival’s theme, this year’s Beer and Beowulf will explore natural wonders with performances of poems which examine and celebrate the world around us.
About the performers
Dr Matthew Townend is a Reader in the Department of English and Related Literature, and Centre for Medieval Studies, at the University of York.
Eoforwic Ale
Using an authentic Anglo-Saxon recipe, Leeds Brewery prepares a special beer – Eoforwic Ale – for York Festival of Ideas. It will be on sale throughout the Festival at the Duke of York pub on King’s Square and at the Eagle & Child pub, High Petergate.