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A poem for the ages, freshly and accessibly translated by an international rising star, bringing together scholarly precision and poetic grace.
Gilgamesh is a Babylonian story about love between men, loss and grief, the confrontation with death; the destruction of nature; insomnia and restlessness, finding peace in one’s community, the voice of women, the folly of gods, heroes, and monsters—and more.
Translating directly from the Akkadian, Sophus Helle offers a literary translation that reproduces the original epic’s poetic effects, including its succinct clarity and enchanting cadence. Millennia after its composition, Gilgamesh continues to speak to us in myriad ways.
Translator: Sophus Helle
Paperback Published 26 January 2023 320 pages
“Sophus Helle’s new translation . . . [is] a thrilling, enchanting, desperate thing to read.”— Nina MacLaughlin, Boston Globe
“Looks to be the last word on this Babylonian masterpiece.”— Michael Dirda, Washington Post