The Epic of Gilgamesh

The Epic of Gilgamesh

The oldest poem in world literature

The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the world’s earliest known works of narrative poetry and one of the most powerful epics ever written. It tells of the great Babylonian king Gilgamesh, part god and part man, who lives alone until the gods create the wild man Enkidu as his companion. The friends go on great quests, but in doing so they incur the wrath of the gods. When they punish Gilgamesh by slaying his friend, he is driven by grief and despair to seek the secret of immortality. The longevity of this 4,000-year-old poem is testament to its insight into humanity. As Andrew George says, ‘It is at once an adventure story, a critique of tyranny, a study of friendship, a meditation on death and, above all, an examination of one man’s emotional and spiritual development. For Gilgamesh is each one of us, his story an example of every human being’s path from youth to age.’

This is the most complete general edition available, presenting the standard Akkadian version alongside later Babylonian and Sumerian texts. Bold and dramatic illustrations by Francis Mosley evoke the Babylonian origins of the poem.

The Epic of Gilgamesh is the world’s earliest known work of narrative poetry, dating from around 2000 BC. This edition, translated by Andrew George, Professor of Babylonian at the University of London, is the most complete general edition available, comprising the standard Akkadian version of the Babylonian epic alongside older Babylonian and Sumerian texts, and has been widely acclaimed for its scholarly accuracy and poetic sensitivity. A detailed introduction by Professor George explains the historical and literary origins of the poem and its many versions, while the bold and dramatic illustrations by Francis Mosley bring this epic vividly to life.