
Gilgamesh
A New Verse Translation
Liveright Publishing Corporation
Will be published approx. on 14. April 2026
Book
Hardback
240 pages
978-1-63149-668-4 (ISBN)
Description
Originating nearly four thousand years ago, Gilgamesh tells the story of a tyrannical king and his wild counterpart, Enkidu, whom the gods spawn to rein in the king's cruel tendencies. Their unlikely friendship leads to adventure, tragedy, and a quest for immortality. This archetypal tale is one of the most compelling and memorable in all of world literature.
It's a testament to the story's inherent power that Gilgamesh continues to enthrall readers despite a long line of English translations that have privileged punctiliousness over narrative energy and readability. Now, in the hands of Simon Armitage, poet laureate of the United Kingdom, this profound ancient epic swells and flows in contemporary English with a vitality and immediacy that only a truly poetic rendering can achieve. Grounded in the latest scholarship, (Jacob L. Dahl of Oxford University, an expert in Assyriology, advised Armitage throughout), this version brings the ancient text to new life, offering readers a thrilling portal into the very dawn of storytelling.
It's a testament to the story's inherent power that Gilgamesh continues to enthrall readers despite a long line of English translations that have privileged punctiliousness over narrative energy and readability. Now, in the hands of Simon Armitage, poet laureate of the United Kingdom, this profound ancient epic swells and flows in contemporary English with a vitality and immediacy that only a truly poetic rendering can achieve. Grounded in the latest scholarship, (Jacob L. Dahl of Oxford University, an expert in Assyriology, advised Armitage throughout), this version brings the ancient text to new life, offering readers a thrilling portal into the very dawn of storytelling.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
WW Norton & Co
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 207 mm
Width: 132 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
346 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-63149-668-4 (9781631496684)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
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Person
Simon Armitage is professor of poetry at the University of Leeds and poet laureate of the United Kingdom. He has published ten collections of poetry and is the author of four stage plays, over a dozen television films, a libretto, two novels, and three memoirs. His poetry has won numerous awards, including a Gregory Award, a Forward Prize, a Lannan Literary Award, and the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry.