The Epic of Gilgamesh (Penguin Classics) Paperback – April 29, 2003

If you haven't read The Epic of Gilgamesh, you're missing out on some of the most vivid imagery in all of literature. In my opinion, this Epic isn't famous for the reasons that it should be famous. You've probably heard about the flood episode, but have you read about Humbaba and the Great Cedar Forest? Do you know where the sun goes at night? Have you plunged into the depths of the waters at the center of the world to find the flower that, when eaten, returns a man to his youth? Could you pass (my personal favorite) the test of the seven loaves of bread? And did I mention the serpent? There's a serpent.What's remarkable about The Epic of Gilgamesh is how complex its characters are, how broad and deep their geography and world is, and yet, how everything in it is delivered in such short, striking and memorable prose. You could read the entire story is an hour or two, or savor a piece of it for a day.On translations: I came across the Epic of Gilgamesh after searching on Google with the question, "What's the earliest piece of literature that we have?" I've listened through the Stephen Mitchell translation on Audible several times, and then moved onto reading the Andrew George translation. (Sadly, there is no audio version of the AG translation that I've been able to find.) My understanding of Gilgamesh is that the English translations are made from a series of cuneiform tablets, many of which have gaps in the text.Stephen Mitchell did a great job translating the text and "filling in the gaps" where there were gaps. The result is a single, cohesive story that flows well and leaves the reader with as close an approximation to the arch of the Gilgamesh story as is currently possible. I highly recommend the Stephen Mitchell version as a great primer for anyone interested in or unfamiliar with the Gilgamesh Epic.What I love about Andrew George's translation (which Stephen Mitchell references as a source for his translation) is that it doesn't fill in those gaps. Andrew George only translates the exact text from the tablets, and his translation feels more like a deep dive into the text itself.The biggest notable difference here is that this Penguin Classics edition of the Andrew George translation comes with the following:1. the Standard Version of the Babylonian Epic2. the Sumerian Poems of Gilgamesh3. Fragments of the Old Version of the Babylonian Epic4. Misc. Babylonian FragmentsAll of these together really helped me develop a better understanding for how the people in the Sumerian culture made sense of the world around them.There is also a great intro on the history of the text, as well as several illustrations of the original tablets and early depictions of the characters in Gilgamesh. This is really a fantastic book, and it can be read for enjoyment or for study.Buy this book, along with the Stephen Mitchell version, and enjoy the journey.

I have to get this book for English class. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it."The Epic of Gilgamesh" is one of the oldest known literary works, originating from ancient Mesopotamia. This epic poem tells the story of Gilgamesh, the king of Uruk, and his journey from tyranny to wisdom.Gilgamesh's transformation begins with his friendship with Enkidu, a wild man created by the gods to challenge him. Their bond and adventures, including battles with mythical creatures, highlight themes of friendship, bravery, and the search for glory.The narrative takes a profound turn when Enkidu dies, prompting Gilgamesh to confront his mortality. His quest for immortality leads him to Utnapishtim, who survived a great flood and was granted eternal life by the gods. Through these encounters, Gilgamesh learns about the inevitability of death and the value of human life.The epic's timeless themes and vivid storytelling continue to resonate, offering insights into human nature and the pursuit of meaning. "The Epic of Gilgamesh" remains a foundational piece of world literature, celebrated for its depth and enduring relevance.

This, in my opinion, is probably the first recorded story. It was present in ancient Sumer, then in Akkad, and told on clay tablets with cuneiform writing. There appear to be a variety of versions, and the author shows a lot of them and also tells of the problems in bringing the story to the present. Leaving aside the fact it is a poem and poems generally do not translate well there is another major problem: most clay tablets are broken. Fortunately, the story has been recorded very many times so often the breaks are in different places, and also there is a tendency in the poem for repetition, so lost spaces can be estimated given the bits we can see.There is no point in discussing the story as it was written up to 5000- years ago, and in my opinion, it is even older, back to the filling of the Black Sea. The book gives several versions, but oddly enough I have seen one version that is not included, although much is the same but merely with some minor twists. I have no idea whether these came from yet more tablets, or whether the translator either added something or saw something different in the text and translated it differently. Either way, this is an excellent presentation of the epic, and it also gives some other interesting information of the times.

The author has done a great job providing the history of the writers of the Gilgamesh story and where the tablets the story was written on were found. The various copies of the story, whether complete or not are also provided along with a section on how the author went about his translation of the story. The book is worth a read for those interested in more than just the story.