Conditions
A read copy, but remains in excellent condition.
Formats
Conditions
A read copy, but remains in excellent condition.
NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST
The most widely read and enduring interpretation of the classic Babylonian epic: a timeless story of friendship, loss, love, and the desperate quest to cheat death, rendered in stunning verse
Few stories have endured as long--or cut as deep--as the epic of Gilgamesh. First composed in ancient Babylon over four thousand years ago, this sweeping tale follows a hero-king whose bond with the wild man Enkidu awakens him to the full measure of what it means to be human. When tragedy strikes, Gilgamesh is shattered--and sets out to outrun death itself.
Poet Herbert Mason's luminous retelling bridges the millennia between Gilgamesh's origins and the modern day, transforming this ancient masterpiece into urgent, breathing verse. Acclaimed for its lyric beauty and scholarly depth, this is the edition that has introduced generations to one of literature's greatest treasures. It is essential reading for fans of other ancient heroic epics, from The Odyssey to Beowulf.
A finalist for the National Book Award, Herbert Mason's retelling is at once a triumph of scholarship, a masterpiece of style, and a labor of love that grew out of the poet's long affinity with the original.
Haven't read the book yet
Translating poetry is a tricky thing. Some people maintain that it can't be done. I would say that the translator can set himself three possible goals. First, he can try to create a "trot," a plain, "literal" translation where every word of the original is explained. See Nabokov's "Eugene Onegin" for an example of this. Second, he can try "simply" to translate it, to give his reader a good idea of what is there on the page, the mood, and so forth. LOTS of translators do this. Third, and most elusive, most difficult, is to create a work of literary art IN ENGLISH (or whatever the target language is). Hopefully this third goal will automatically include all the most important elements of "mere translation." But, if the translator succeeeds, he will have created an independent work of art which will then take on a life of its own. The most famous example of this would probably be FitzGerald's "Ruba'iyat of Omar Khayyam," probably better described as a fantasy and variations on themes of Omar Khayyam. Alexander Pope's translation of Homer's "Iliad" surely has legs, still in print after all these years. David Ferry has attempted the third goal in his translation of "Gilgamesh," and to my mind he succeeds. The result is a moving and beautiful work of literary art, and I predict a very long life for it.
Published by Ashly Moore SheldonJuly 16, 2026
Published by Ashly Moore SheldonAugust 15, 2025
Published by William SheltonMarch 14, 2023
