The Epic of Gilgamesh

The ancient Sumerian poem The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the oldest written stories in existence, translated with an introduction by Andrew George in Penguin Classics.

Miraculously preserved on clay tablets dating back as much as four thousand years, the poem of Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, is the worlds oldest epic, predating Homer by many centuries. The story tells of Gilgameshs 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 mankinds eternal struggle with the fear of death.

The Babylonian version has been known for over a century, but linguists are still deciphering new fragments in Akkadian and Sumerian. Andrew Georges gripping translation brilliantly combines these into a fluid narrative and will long rank as the definitive English Gilgamesh.

If you enjoyed The Epic of Gilgamesh, you might like Homers Iliad, also available in Penguin Classics.

A masterly new verse translation
The Times

Andrew George has skilfully bridged the gap between a scholarly re-edition and a popular work
London Review of Books