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The classic verse rendering of the great epic of ancient Mesopotamia.

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... Read Full Overview

This Norton Critical Edition includes:

An English-language rendering of the world's oldest epic follows the journey of conquest and self-discovery by the king of Uruk, in an edition that includes an introduction that places the story in its historical and cultural context.

Since the discovery over one hundred years ago of a body of Mesopotamian poetry preserved on clay tablets, what has come to be known as the Epic of Gilgamesh has been considered a masterpiece of ancient literature. It recounts the deeds of a hero-king of ancient Mesopotamia,... Read Full Overview

"A comprehensive Introduction with a light touch (Beckman), a poetic rendering with verve and moxie (Lombardo): This edition of the colossal Babylonian Gilgamesh Epic should satisfy all readers who seek to plumb its wealth and depth without stumbling over its many inconvenient... Read Full Overview

A great king, strong as the stars in Heaven. Enkidu, a wild and mighty hero, is created by the gods to challenge the arrogant King Gilgamesh. But instead of killing each other, the two become friends. Travelling together to the Cedar Forest, they fight and slay the evil monster... Read Full Overview

El hombre se hace inmortal mediante el poema, y viceversa: la poesía se hace inmortal mediante el hombre. D. Donatti Sinopsis ENTRE LOS TEXTOS más reveladores producidos por los sumerios (quienes inventaron la escritura) descuella una narración poética que --en doce tablillas,... Read Full Overview

More than a thousand years before Homer or the Bible, Mesopotamian poets sang of the hero-king Gilgamesh, who sought to crown his superhuman exploits by finding eternal life. This Norton Critical Edition presents translations by Benjamin R. Foster, Douglas Frayne, and Gary Beckman... Read Full Overview

Originally the work of an anonymous Babylonian poet who lived more than 3,700 years ago, The Epic of Gilgamesh tells of the heroic exploits of the ruler of the walled city of Uruk. Not content with the immortality conveyed by the renown of his great deeds, Gilgamesh journeys... Read Full Overview

Composed over 2,500 years, lost in the deserts of Iraq for 2,000 more, Gilgamesh presents a palimpsest of ancient Middle Eastern cultic and courtly lyrics and lore. The story of a visionary journey beyond the limits of human experience, Gilgamesh is a tale of friendship, adventure,... Read Full Overview

LA EPOPEYA DE GILGAMESH La epopeya de Gilgamesh es la obra cumbre y más importante en la tradición literaria de la antigua Babilonia. Quien tenga la oportunidad de acercarse a este libro, encontrará la maravillosa historia de Gilgamesh, el gran rey Uruk, quien fue capaz de enfrentarse... Read Full Overview

A new verse rendering of the great epic of ancient Mesopotamia, one of the oldest works in Western Literature. Ferry makes Gilgamesh available in the kind of energetic and readable translation that Robert Fitzgerald and Richard Lattimore have provided for readers in their translations... Read Full Overview