Description
The definitive translation of the world's oldest known epic, now updated with newly discovered material
Miraculously preserved on clay tablets dating back as far as four thousand years, the poem of Gilgamesh, King of Uruk, predates 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. This new edition of Andrew George's translation has been extensively revised to include recently discovered fragments and new sources.
Translated and revised with an introduction by Andrew George
'Our first recognisable epic poem. What is exhilarating, the more we learn of it, is how directly it speaks to us' Literary Review
A reissue of Andrew George's bestselling translation, now revised and expanded with the addition of newly discovered material.
About the Author
Andrew George is Professor of Babylonian at SOAS (the School of Oriential and African Studies), part of the University of London. His research has taken him many times to Iraq to visit Babylon and other ancient sites, and to museums in Baghdad, Europe and North America to read the original clay tablets on which the scribes of ancient Iraq wrote.
Reviews
A masterly verse translation * The Times *
Andrew George has skillfully bridged the chasm between a scholarly re-edition and a popular work * London Review of Books *
Book Information
ISBN 9780140449198
Author Anonymous Anonymous
Format Paperback
Page Count 304
Imprint Penguin Classics
Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
Weight(grams) 224g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 17mm
