Gilgamesh

By Unknown, Stanley Lombardo (translator),

Book cover of Gilgamesh

Book description

This stirring new version of the great Babylonian epic includes material from the recently discovered "monkey tablet" as well as an Introduction, timeline, glossary, and correspondences between lines of the translation and those of the original texts. "A comprehensive Introduction with a light touch (Beckman), a poetic rendering with verve…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Gilgamesh as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Unlike the Homerian epics, Gilgamesh has been studied by scholars since only the late 19th century. (David Damrosch’s The Buried Book: The Loss and Rediscovery of the Great Epic of Gilgamesh details its fascinating discovery among a box of cuneiform shards in the British Museum.) Yet this Babylonian epic predates the Odyssey by over a millennium and relates a hero’s journey even more formidable. While Odysseus just wants to get back home, Gilgamesh seeks immortality itself. Bloody battles with giants, marathon sex with goddesses, heartbreaking love between two men, and the universal human quest to reconcile ourselves with…

From Jordanna's list on mythology books beyond the Greeks.

Want books like Gilgamesh?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 52 books like Gilgamesh.

Browse books like Gilgamesh

Book cover of The Poetic Edda: Stories of the Norse Gods and Heroes
Book cover of Oxford Companion to World Mythology
Book cover of Unikkaaqtuat: An Introduction to Inuit Myths and Legends

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,332

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in the British Museum, Iraq, and Mesopotamia?

Iraq 98 books
Mesopotamia 25 books