The Epic of Gilgamesh: An English Verison with an Introduction [Paperback]

Anonymous (Author), N. K. Sandars (Translator)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 014044100X | ISBN-13: 978-0140441000 | Publication Date: December 30, 1960 | Edition: Revised

Gilgamesh, King of Uruk, and his companion Enkidu are the only heroes to have survived from the ancient literature of Babylon, immortalized in this epic poem that dates back to the 3rd millennium BC. Together they journey to the Spring of Youth, defeat the Bull of Heaven and slay the monster Humbaba. When Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh's grief and fear of death are such that they lead him to undertake a quest for eternal life. A timeless tale of morality, tragedy and pure adventure, "The Epic of Gilgamesh" is a landmark literary exploration of man's search for immortality.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This edition provides a prose rendering of The Epic of Gilgamesh, the cycle of poems preserved on clay tablets surviving from ancient Mesopotamia of the third mi llennium B.C. One of the best and most important pieces of epic poetry from human history, predating even Homer's Iliad by roughly 1,500 years, the Gilgamesh epic tells of the various adventures of that hero-king, including his quest for immortality, and an account of a great flood similar in many details to the Old Testament's story of Noah. The translator also provides an interesting and useful introduction explaining much about the historical context of the poem and the archeological discovery of th e tablets.

About the Author

N K Sandars has worked extensively in the fields of archaeology and prehistory and is a fellow of the British Academy. Her book of poems, Grandmother's Steps & Other Poems, was published in 2000.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics; Revised edition (December 30, 1960)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 014044100X
• ISBN-13: 978-0140441000
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,439 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > History > Ancient > Assyria, Babylonia & Sumer
  • #17 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry
  • #46 in Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > Mythology

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

67 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 1500 years before Homer, August 30, 2002

By 

Daniel Jolley "darkgenius" (Shelby, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Epic of Gilgamesh: An English Verison with an Introduction (Paperback)

The Epic of Gilgamesh is a fascinating tale of great historical importance. Composed 1500 years before Homer's epics, the story is one that modern man can readily understand and appreciate. Gilgamesh was the more than capable ruler of the ancient town of Uruk; his strength and physical beauty were unmatched by any in the land, and his subjects adored him. Although he possessed so much, Gilgamesh wanted desperately to live forever like a god. He was two-thirds god and one-third human, but he refused to accept his destiny to die. If it were his lot to die, he wanted to perform great deeds so that his name would never be forgotten.

The story opens with the story of Enkidu, a wild man of nature who was to become Gilgamesh's best friend and accompany him on his dangerous journeys. The first trip takes them to the Land of the Cedars where Gilgamesh sets out to kill Humbaba, the guardian of the forest. When he later slays the Bull of Heaven, the anger of the gods is turned upon him and Enkidu, leading to new suffering by Gilgamesh. In desperation, he seeks Utnapishtim in the land of the gods; Utnapishtim was granted eternal life after preserving mankind in the wake of a great flood. Gilgamesh again finds only heartache for his troubles. Returning to Uruk, he preserves the story of his journeys and deeds in writing, and it is, perhaps ironically, in this written record that Gilgamesh is recognized today for the great man he was.

One learns much about the ancient gods in this tale, and the story of the great goddess Ishtar's role in the related events is pretty amazing. When Ishtar invited Gilgamesh to be her husband, he issued forth a litany of former lovers whom Ishtar had turned out and cursed, boldly rebuffing Ishtar's advances. It is this brave act that led to most of Gilgamesh's later troubles. Even Enkidu, whose reported bravery is belied by his reluctance to aid his noble friend in several situations, is rather astonishingly disrespectful to the goddess.

N. K. Sandars does a remarkable job of putting the epic in its proper historical and literary perspective. A glossary of relevant gods and characters is particularly helpful. Along with providing a short history of the man, the gods, and the epic itself, she goes to great lengths to explain her method of producing this modern translation. There is no one extant copy of the Epic of Gilgamesh; a number of tablets, in varying degrees of condition and legibility and differing somewhat in the details of the story, have been compared and contrasted in order to produce the story as she presents it. Perhaps the most useful part of the introduction is an explanation of the form and style of the text. The text was originally told in verse, and Sandars explains that she chose to produce the text in narrative form in the interest of readability. As the order of events is not universally agreed upon, she explains why she chose the order she did for events. One annoying feature of the text, at least to the modern reader, is the constant word for word repetition of speeches between characters, and Sandars does the reader a great service by alerting him/her to this and explaining the rationale behind its use by the ancient writers.

The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the oldest written texts in history, yet its theme is timeless, its characters all too human, and its appeal universal. Sandars' modern, narrative translation transforms the historically important epic into an eminently readable, quite enjoyable story. The tale of a great flood in this incredibly ancient tale has raised eyebrows ever since the text was discovered. The parallels to the Biblical tale of Noah are obvious, adding great strength to the argument that the legend or memory of a cataclysmic flood was common to diverse cultures in the ancient Near East. Those familiar with the ideas of Zechariah Sitchin will find this story especially fascinating and illuminating.

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The greatest story ever told?, September 24, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Epic of Gilgamesh: An English Verison with an Introduction (Paperback)

The Epic of Gilgamesh is an ancient story-- perhaps 4 thousand to 5 thousand years old. Originating in ancient Sumeria, it spread throughout the Near East and the version we have has been reconstructed from Akkadian, Babylonian, Hittite, and Hurrian translations inscribed on clay tablets. Its themes and motifs (including a divinely ordained Great Flood) influenced the development of other great poetic works and mythological traditions, including those of ancient Egypt, Israel, and Greece.

The story here is mythic and powerful. I won't try to summarize it other than to say that it raises truly timeless questions about what it means to be human-- questions about love sex and friendship, about nature and civilization, of the simple joys in life and about our desire to do great deeds, about our fear of death and the impossiblity of escaping it.

There is much about this story that may seem archaic, naive, and odd to first-time readers, ranging from the description of Gilgamesh as 2/3 god, 1/3 mortal (which may perplex folks who try to work out how that can happen hereditarily speaking), to the repetivite narrative voice that stem from the conventions of orally performed poetry (which does seem a bit odd when being *read* silently in a book). However, once one learns to see beyond these curious features, it is apparent that _The Epic of Gilgamesh_, as it has come down to us, is a brilliant and clever piece of poetic craftsmanship and storytelling. The use of recurrent images and motifs, the narrative symmetries and ironies (e.g. how, after Enkidu's death, Gilgamesh leaves the city, puts on animal furs, and goes off into the wilderness... becoming much like Enkidu was at the beginning of the story). In truth, I would not hesitate to say that the _Epic of Gilgamesh_ is, from a poetic point of view, as complex and sophisticated as any of Shakespeare's plays.

The Penguin edition of the poem, I should add, offers a loose prose translation that is quite satisfactory and extremely readable. Those who are more interested in the stylistic qualities of the original may prefer a more literal translation, while those more interested in the history of the poem and its sources, may prefer a more scholarly edition-- but for the general or first time reader, Sandars' edition should be more than suitable.

47 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Great epic, bad edition, March 4, 2006

By 

Jimmer the Hoft (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Epic of Gilgamesh: An English Verison with an Introduction (Paperback)

First off, I have never thaught I would give Gilgamesh anything less than five stars. However, I recently received Andrew George's translation (the more reccent translation in the Penguin Classics series) and earlier today got my hands on a copy of this edition and decided to compare them. I found this edition very incomplete (George's is currently the most complete form) and like another reviewer said an unneccisarilly long introduction (at least for a translation that short). So while I do recomend Gilgamesh to everybody I would not recomend this (N. K. Sandars) translation and would instead recomend the one by Andrew George (unless you want more myths from Babylon and that area in which case I would recomend Myths From Mesopotamia by Stephanie Dalley her translation while not as complete is still one of the best I've read).