The Epic of Gilgamesh

Fiction & Literature, Poetry
Cover of the book The Epic of Gilgamesh by Penguin Books Ltd, Penguin Books Ltd
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Author: Penguin Books Ltd ISBN: 9780241289907
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd Publication: June 2, 2016
Imprint: Penguin Language: English
Author: Penguin Books Ltd
ISBN: 9780241289907
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Publication: June 2, 2016
Imprint: Penguin
Language: English

The ancient Sumerian poem The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the oldest written stories in existence, translated with an introduction by Andrew George in Penguin Classics.

Miraculously preserved on clay tablets dating back as much as four thousand years, the poem of Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, is the world's oldest epic, predating Homer by many centuries. The story tells of Gilgamesh's adventures with the wild man Enkidu, and of his arduous journey to the ends of the earth in quest of the Babylonian Noah and the secret of immortality. Alongside its themes of family, friendship and the duties of kings, The Epic of Gilgamesh is, above all, about mankind's eternal struggle with the fear of death.

The Babylonian version has been known for over a century, but linguists are still deciphering new fragments in Akkadian and Sumerian. Andrew George's gripping translation brilliantly combines these into a fluid narrative and will long rank as the definitive English Gilgamesh.

If you enjoyed The Epic of Gilgamesh, you might like Homer's Iliad, also available in Penguin Classics.

'A masterly new verse translation'
The Times

'Andrew George has skilfully bridged the gap between a scholarly re-edition and a popular work'
London Review of Books

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The ancient Sumerian poem The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the oldest written stories in existence, translated with an introduction by Andrew George in Penguin Classics.

Miraculously preserved on clay tablets dating back as much as four thousand years, the poem of Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, is the world's oldest epic, predating Homer by many centuries. The story tells of Gilgamesh's adventures with the wild man Enkidu, and of his arduous journey to the ends of the earth in quest of the Babylonian Noah and the secret of immortality. Alongside its themes of family, friendship and the duties of kings, The Epic of Gilgamesh is, above all, about mankind's eternal struggle with the fear of death.

The Babylonian version has been known for over a century, but linguists are still deciphering new fragments in Akkadian and Sumerian. Andrew George's gripping translation brilliantly combines these into a fluid narrative and will long rank as the definitive English Gilgamesh.

If you enjoyed The Epic of Gilgamesh, you might like Homer's Iliad, also available in Penguin Classics.

'A masterly new verse translation'
The Times

'Andrew George has skilfully bridged the gap between a scholarly re-edition and a popular work'
London Review of Books

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