The Legend of St Brendan. A critical bibliography
Book Details
Published by Royal Irish Academy
January 2000
HardbackNumber of pages: 287
ISBN: 9781874045861
St Brendan, was an Irish monk who died c. 575. He wrote the eighth-century tale ‘The Voyage of St. Brendan the Abbot’, which describes a voyage undertaken by the saint in search of a wonderful island in the ocean, the ‘Land of Promise’. The tale catapulted him to cult status as ‘Brendan the Navigator’. It was a medieval bestseller which had an important influence on cartography and the discovery of the New World, as a source of inspiration for Christopher Columbus. There also survives a Life of St Brendan. This volume presents the surviving texts and scholarly works inspired by the real and the legendary St Brendan in the form of a critical bibliography. It accounts of the diverse and fascinating aspects of both the real and the legendary Brendan. Part One lists primary material, mainly manuscripts, editions and translations. Allusions to Brendan in a number of medieval texts are included, as are some examples of modern literary treatments of the legend. Part Two lists secondary material in the form of articles and chapters or sections of books. The volume represents a stately contribution to the scholarship of the Brendan legend and will be the standard biographical work on the subject for years to come.
About the authors
Clara Strijbosch
Clara Strijbosch, Ph.D. 1995 in Medieval Dutch Literature at Utrecht University, is an independent researcher and literary critic and has taught widely in Europe and in Durban, South Africa. She is the co-author of The Legend of St Brendan. A critical bibliography (2000).
Glyn Burgess
Glyn Burgess is a scholar of medieval language and literature. He is Emeritus Professor at the University of Liverpool. His research interests are Medieval French Literature, lexicology and history of the French language. He is the co-author of The Legend of St Brendan. A critical bibliography (2000).
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