Gilgamesh: A New Translation of the Ancient Epic
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- Create Date：2022-08-02 06:52:36
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Sophus Helle
- ISBN：0300268092
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
A poem for the ages， freshly and accessibly translated by an international rising star， bringing together scholarly precision and poetic grace
“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
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。
“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
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。
Reviews
Tamara Agha-Jaffar
，
Gilgamesh: A New Translation of the Ancient Epic by Sophus Helle， in addition to being a brilliant new translation， includes five essays in which Helle provides commentary， analysis， insights， and interpretation。 Helle’s structural analysis and close reading of the text is fresh， illuminating， and inspiring。In his Introduction， Helle discusses the fragmentary nature of the Gilgamesh series of tablets that have so far been discovered and deciphered。 He explains the nature of the cuneiform system Gilgamesh: A New Translation of the Ancient Epic by Sophus Helle， in addition to being a brilliant new translation， includes five essays in which Helle provides commentary， analysis， insights， and interpretation。 Helle’s structural analysis and close reading of the text is fresh， illuminating， and inspiring。In his Introduction， Helle discusses the fragmentary nature of the Gilgamesh series of tablets that have so far been discovered and deciphered。 He explains the nature of the cuneiform system of writing and provides a detailed description of his methodology in translating the poem。 Raised dots indicate missing sections and whole lines are left blank if scholars have determined the number of missing lines。 The reader is given a visual representation of how much of the epic is missing。 Helle translates directly from the Akkadian but also identifies and includes the Old Babylonian Version and the Standard Babylonian Version when the versions differ。 The translation includes copious footnotes and an extensive bibliography。The five essays following the translation include commentary， interpretation， and an exploration of the main themes。 Through close textual and structural analysis， Helle garners dazzling new insights， breathing life into the text。 The Prologue reveals it is Gilgamesh who sets down his story， making the poem an autobiography told in the third person。 Helle argues the wording at the end of the poem， far from being abrupt， is designed to lead us back to its beginning。 He compares it to a snake biting its tail， a looping strategy designed to encourage continuous reading。 He explores the significance of the wall of Uruk， interpreting it as structure and metaphor and identifies the poem’s different literary forms。 And since the Prologue invites us to read the poem aloud， Helle concludes it was probably recited and/or performed in front of an audience。These valuable insights continue at a dizzying pace。 Helle suggests the poem should be read as a series with each Tablet as a rounded， self-contained episode and with the whole forming a larger story。 His analysis of Gilgamesh’s character—his excessive desire， surplus energy， and aggressive tendencies—is particularly astute and explains much of what was otherwise baffling in Gilgamesh’s behavior。 And， finally， Helle argues that Gilgamesh’s greatest achievement is to learn from Uta-napishti the skill of storytelling and its role in achieving his much sought-after immortality。Helle’s scholarship is impressive。 Avoiding academic jargon， his style is clear， accessible， and engaging。 His analysis is thoughtful and inspiring。 He reveals the depth and enduring qualities of this ancient masterpiece， breathes new life into it， and convincingly argues for its continued resonance and relevance。This brilliant， exciting translation and commentary is highly recommended for those approaching the poem for the first time and for others who have read multiple translations。 My book reviews are also available at www。tamaraaghajaffar。com 。。。more
shinminmetroskyline
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a thoughtful edition that benefits immensely from its addended essay
Maan Kawas
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Such a great book！ The translation， introduction， essays， notes， and bibliography are great！ I highly recommend this book。
kerrycat
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"for whom did I spill the blood of my heart？"this never gets old "for whom did I spill the blood of my heart？"this never gets old 。。。more
Liam Malone
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This is one of the 3 best books I've read on or about the Epic of Gilgamesh。 The translation is good， there are better。 But his essays rank among the best observations and thoughts on the epic。He discusses the definition of an epic。 He discusses the complex context of the love affair between Enkidu and Gilgamesh。 He feels we look at with too modern of eyes。 It is great on Ishtar and the other female characters。 He delves well into the significance of the walls of Uruk。 I suggest that anyone want This is one of the 3 best books I've read on or about the Epic of Gilgamesh。 The translation is good， there are better。 But his essays rank among the best observations and thoughts on the epic。He discusses the definition of an epic。 He discusses the complex context of the love affair between Enkidu and Gilgamesh。 He feels we look at with too modern of eyes。 It is great on Ishtar and the other female characters。 He delves well into the significance of the walls of Uruk。 I suggest that anyone wanting to read this epic， also read this book。 。。。more
hjalata29
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beautiful translation accompanied with so many fascinating essays！！！！ perfect if u want a place to start with gilgamesh， it made me love the story and the history so much more than i already did the first time i read it。 totally recommend i’ll change ur life trust me xoxo
Jared Rosen
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I have never read the epic before， so my rating is uneducated。 Helle makes the epic approachable by authoring an amazing introduction， which tells you everything you need to know about the book。 The endnotes at to this by inserting information about society at the time。 I enjoyed this translation a lot and I appreciated the steps Helle took to ensure accuracy and authenticity。 I strongly recommend this version to someone who is interested in reading Gilgamesh
Rob Chappell
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The most recent English translation of the world's oldest known epic poem does not disappoint！ The translation itself is accurate， yet accessible， formatted as poetry （as it should be！）， and as a result， the translator does a great job of conveying the heroic tales of King Gilgamesh to a 21st-century audience。 The essays that follow the translation provide valuable insights， historical background， and helpful hints for understanding the epic and its ancient context。 Highly recommended for reader The most recent English translation of the world's oldest known epic poem does not disappoint！ The translation itself is accurate， yet accessible， formatted as poetry （as it should be！）， and as a result， the translator does a great job of conveying the heroic tales of King Gilgamesh to a 21st-century audience。 The essays that follow the translation provide valuable insights， historical background， and helpful hints for understanding the epic and its ancient context。 Highly recommended for readers approaching the Gilgamesh Epic for the first time， as well as for seasoned readers （like me） who have been reading and re-reading it in multiple versions for the last three decades。 Long live King Gilgamesh， the world's first superhero！ 。。。more
Graham McGrew
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Good essays。 Helle seems to have thought more deeply into the poem than most。
Stinne Larsen
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